Howl!
by Monte-chan
Summary: Mio finds out Ritsu's secret... no, it's not a crush on her! A short, sometimes humorous story showing how the duo copes with one's strange condition. "Dad always said a Tainaka girl would be special."
1. The Night Before

Author's Note: _Thought __or __Emphasis_; **Flashback or English**; _**Thought **__**or **__**Emphasis **__**in **__**Flashback**_

Hello again, readers! For those who know my username, you probably didn't expect me to jump into this genre. I'm originally a writer in the _Teen Titans _animated series fandom.

However, I was inspired by the supernatural _K-ON!_ fanfictions on Fanfiction dot Net. Like Tastychainsaws' "The Dead Music Club", some show the girls in a zombie apocalypse, but others feature elements like ghosts, immortality, and monsters both famous and lesser-known. For example, the story "Whatever it may be" has Ritsu having a new perspective, while "Another K-On?" features the Light Music Club having magical secrets I won't spoil here. Sadly, "Another K-On?" was never finished.

Anyway, here's the worm that wouldn't leave my head until it hit the digital page. Remember that I don't own _K-ON!_, _Naruto_, or any other anime I reference, and feel free to read and review.

* * *

**K-ON!: Howl!**

Part I: The Evening Before

"...and that last Rasengan with Hinata was so cool! I didn't even know she could do that, but wow!" A Japanese girl burst into the front door of her house, still giddy from her latest trip to the movies. Her clothes were a T-shirt with "**QUICK**" on the front and a pair of jeans, a jean jacket to match. Her short brown hair sat under a sun-yellow headband.

Her friend, also Japanese, wore dark capri pants, a printless T-shirt, and a jacket of thinner synthetic fabric; long black hair flowed down her back. Her reaction to the film was a bit more reserved. "Come on, Ritsu. He had to use it with someone. He _always_ does a Rasengan at the end."

"Yeah, Mio, but it doesn't make it any less awesome! I still remember the one he did with his dad in the movie before last. He went all _Gurren __Lagann_-drill on that puppet guy." Ritsu chuckled at the reaction the villain gave; they never expect the Leaf Village ninja to win, do they?

Mio held her tongue, since even she remembered how impressive the attack was on the big screen. Yet she asked, and not for the first time, "I still don't know why you love those kinds of shows. They're all yelling and explosions-"

"Yeah, the best part!"

"And then there's Naruto's obsession-"

"Don't knock Naruto! You know he's gonna get Sasuke back 'cause he never gives up! He's the guy who comes in swinging," the tomboy's fists flew in a mock battle with an invisible ninja, "takes a hit," she clutched her chest and dramatically fell against the nearest chair, "gets back up," she shot from her seat, "and blasts right through the enemy!" She lunged forth with an imaginary ball of spiraling energy, Naruto's "Rasengan!"

She relaxed with a casual smile, patting a fist to her chest. "Just like how _I _do things."

Mio semi-playfully raised an important fact: "Sure, after you ask me to help."

The smile faltered, but just barely. "Yeah..."

The long-haired ravenette put a finger to her chin. "But I can see why you like him. You're both so alike!" She decided to play with her friend a bit. "You're both high-energy, you both talk too much, you're both pretty dense..."

"Hey!"

"..and you both have those big hearts."

"Oh." Ritsu's pout faded; she replaced it by scratching the back of her head in mild embarrassment. "Heh heh, thanks." She took Mio's jacket (to toss onto the couch anyway rather than hang in the closet), a thought coming to her. "But you know, you're kinda like Hinata."

"Hmm?"

"Yep. You got that long hair going on, you're kinda shy and quiet, and when we were little, you were always blushing and hiding behind everything—usually me!" She jumped behind her familiar friend the chair to imitate her other companion. "'Ricchan! Ricchan! Spider!' Hahahaha-"

_POW._

The "dangerous queen" let her scepter descend. Her regal judgment: "That's enough comparing!"

The royal fool tapped the rapidly forming lump on her head, wincing at every touch. "Now you're more like Sakura..."

That earned Ritsu another punch.

Her fury subsided, Mio thought back on the afternoon. It had been a while since the two of them just... hung out. Sure, Mugi, Azusa, and Yui were good friends and—with everyone's quirks considered—fun to be around, like at Ritsu's birthday party a little over a month ago.

But a Mio-and-Ritsu day? Those were golden. They just felt... _right_.

Still, Mio found herself a little disturbed by Mugi's face when she explained she and Ritsu wanted to go out alone this weekend. There were no words from the blonde, just her sapphire eyes sparkling with a faraway look, a faint blush on her cheeks...

Oh well. That was a question to answer another day.

Ritsu too felt a day like this was just what she was missing, considering the last few weekends were occupied.

Last week, they tried a live-house concert, but the response was weak. It truly hit them that not everyone liked their brand of music. Mugi's consolation cake, though, made the bitter day's end a little sweeter.

The weekend before that just happened to be followed by a history exam. Mio, the diligent student she was, would not let Toyotomi Hideyoshi's time as ruler be forgotten, and as the _good friend_ she was, she took Ritsu and the others along for a journey through time. By the end of that "summer camp", the amber-eyed drummer was pretty sure she could draw her textbook's pages by hand.

_I think I know how Yui felt in that study session..._

The weekend before that demanded a history paper be done (it was quickly becoming her least favorite subject). The research probably would have gone faster if the library did not have a manga section recently added...

And the weekend before that... well, Ritsu was still reeling from... _that. _Even after coming back to school, her mind was still trying to accept—endure?—the knowledge of having the worst belated birthday gift ever given.

The present was not something she could leave buried in the closet like her mother's old sweater, or return like those horrible movies from cousin Aki. No, she had a feeling that _it_ was not going to go away that easily.

So, Ritsu would try to hide _it_. She didn't want to take the risk of _it_ being out in the open, especially in front of the girls. As long as they did not know, she would be fine, and they would be fine.

For now, she would enjoy the day. Besides, she was pretty sure she had one more day before _it_ popped out of its box again. She looked to the one grumbling "stupid Ritsu..." to herself, and any worry she had washed away.

_Yeah, I got one more day._

* * *

The friends of nearly a decade soon saw themselves in Ritsu's room once again. The Tainaka household was empty, since her parents were away on business and because Satoshi didn't want to be around when the girls did... whatever they did, he didn't care (well, he did at times, but after Ritsu paid him back for spying the last time with a wrestling move she learned from TV, he kept his curiosity in check).

Their talks continued, slipping from tests (yes, Mio would help her with Tuesday's English exam), to Azusa's ever-growing cat theme (Yui put cat stickers on her _kouhai_'s schoolbag, for gods' sake!), to _Naruto_ again (the _fuwa-fuwa_ lyricist Mio wanted more romance in it, of course, but after thinking about that day's comparison, decided not to mention that she liked the NarutoxHinata pairing).

The afternoon became the evening, and the bassist looked up from her friend's borrowed manga as the light in the room changed. "Looks like it's sundown." A closer look out the window proved it; soft yellows and reds began to bring a calming end to the Mio-and-Ritsu day.

"Yeah." A manga laying on the dozing drummer's face muffled her already lazy response. Reading Ganta Igarashi's story of endurance would have to wait until morning.

"It's gonna be a beautiful full moon tonight."

"Yeah, a beautiful..." Ritsu's body snapped awake, the words a thunderbolt to the brain. "Say that again?"

The ravenette raised an eyebrow at the response, but answered. "I said, a full moon is coming out tonight."

"WHAT!?" Much like her heart from her chest, the brunette leaped to her dresser, digging past the junk she left there over the weeks. "It can't be tonight. I know I had at least 'til tomorrow!"

Mio's single eyebrow was accompanied by its twin in worry. "What's going on?"

_Dangit dangit dangit—_"Nothing, I'm just looking for something."

"Maybe I can help."

"NO, no, I'm fine. Just, um, just give me a minute, kay?" Ritsu's voice gave a weak attempt to be calm, instead resembling that of a child hiding a parent's broken possession. She knew the object was there, however; she just needed to-

"FOUND IT!"

"Found what?" The gray-eyed girl edged off the bed and looked over her frantic friend's shoulder to find- "A calendar? _That's_ why you're so riled up?" She huffed at the false threat. "I thought nothing was on tonight. Wasn't that the point of picking today instead of tomorrow for the movie?"

That was not Ritsu's true reason, but Mio did not know that. She also did not see Ritsu's face as she saw the date, but more importantly, a certain shape in the top-right corner.

"No."

Of all the days, it was the one with that stupid American superstition tied to it, Friday the 13th. Of all the days she thought she was lucky, it was on the unluckiest day of the year. She might have laughed at the irony, were it not for the fear of what was going to happen next, the fear that sparked in twin amber orbs as she rushed to grab Mio. "You are _not_ supposed to be here right now."

"What?" The bassist finally spotted that fear, just as she was being pushed to the bedroom door. "What's wrong, Ritsu?"

"Y-you gotta go, okay?"

"Why?"

_That __feeling_ began to stir in the drummer's gut as the sun dropped ever lower.

She hated it.

No, it was not the feeling itself that truly distressed the drummer. That was but a small, fleeting strike, a sort of warm pulse from the inside.

It was knowing what it meant, what came after it, that made her begging fiercer and her shove harder. "It doesn't matter! Just..." Another push, "GO!"

"NO!" Now angry at Ritsu's brusqueness, the guest dragged her feet in resistance. "We promised, remember? No secrets!"

"But..." The room grew darker, the shadows growing with Ritsu's nervousness. "But this is different! If you don't get out of here, I don't know-"

"What are you so afraid of?" Tapping into her own aggressive side, the ravenette quickly stopped and spun, smacking the other girl's hands away. "There's no one here but you and me!"

_Not for long,_ one thought as another pulse hit her.

"I know I'm not the bravest person around, but I'm still your friend! Let me help you!"

"You can't, Mio..." The brunette could only watch in despair as the sun dipped under the horizon. As the noirette predicted, the night sky was indeed beautiful, but like a poisonous flower, its beauty only condemned both girls to their fate.

"...it's too late."

Mio dropped her hand from the door to a shocking sight.

Ritsu always held them back when she got hurt, except for that time she fell from the monkey bars and had to get her shoulder reset. Even in the face of failure, she preferred to either laugh things off or get plain angry. Yet, there they were.

For the first time in years, Mio saw Ritsu's eyes wet with tears...

...tears reflecting the light of the full moon.

"I'm sor-_ngh_!"

The brunette clutched her stomach, the mild ache from before now a fire spreading through her form. She began to twitch from the pain, but she could not contain it much more. Her body moved of its own accord now, a scream tearing out.

"AAAAHHH!"

She fell onto her dresser, her fingers tearing up the calendar and _clawing_ into the wood. Her legs, muscles morphing under the skin, were too unstable to keep her upright, and she fell from the desk, small furrows by her dragging fingers left behind.

An uncertain shape rolled and writhed on the floor, the room's only other occupant forcing a broken thought through.

"Ri-"

"_**GETOOOAAAAHHH!"**_

Mio wished she could have followed the strained instructions coming out of a shifting mouth; her usual response was flight over fight, after all. However, the part of her brain in charge of the most basic of instincts, the part screaming at her to run, to hide, to survive, was now frozen. All of her was frozen, in fact—her feet rooted to the wooden floor, her arms slack at the sides of her body, unblinking globes staring at the sight before her, and most of all, vocal cords paralyzed. She could not call for help, she could not scream in shock, she could not even cry out her friend's name.

The ice on the girl in the doorway did not begin to thaw until the figure in the darkened corner of the room began to stand. Whatever replaced Ritsu sniffed about, eyes lidded as if something caught its attention. Pointed ears on the sides of its head twitched a bit, seeking out a sound.

"Rit...su?"

The... _whatever it was_ turned to the source of the voice, stepping fully into the light peering from the window. The human noticed through this that it walked on all fours, but soon came to notice the figure's other attributes.

(Yet, she still did not run.)

Pushing out from under the ex-Ritsu's remaining rags, fur ran down the beast's arms, legs, and back, the same light brown as its hair. While said hair was messy even with the headband, the small restraint was broken in two by its wearer's thrashing, allowing the former captive to fall freely. Yet, the style Mio once thought made her friend look a bit boyish did not spill over the monster's face as it should; other than two large trails draping the sides of the face, the mess spiked out in all directions with feral energy.

Of course, feral was exactly the ex-Ritsu's nature, also shown by the fangs in its mouth, the claws on its hands and feet, and those eyes... The gems shined as they captured the moonlight, almost beautiful if not for their stare, boring into the noirette's very spirit and causing her lips to still themselves again.

Mio did not find Ritsu in their amber glow. She could not find the unbridled, infectious energy, the sometimes unfounded yet ultimately validated certainty, the sad warmth at seeing her hurt or frightened, or the furious flame when turning towards the source of the problem. Instead was... some _thing_, scanning her from head to foot; noting her ample chest rise and fall with each minute breath; watching each bead of sweat form and roll down her skin; counting each pound her heart made against her ribcage.

Were these the eyes of a predator?

_Am I... prey?_

When the creature pounced and tackled her into the hall, the answer to both questions appeared to be a resounding, life-ending yes.

The reactions of one facing death are myriad, unique to each ending and each person. Some accept it—they know they have done enough along the way; or they know their death was the price for doing the right thing; or they have faith their loved ones and an eternal peace wait for them. Others are scared—they did not do enough to make their next existence a good one; or they know there is only one life, and only oblivion awaits; or they did not accomplish a certain goal in this life; or they simply fear to encounter the universe's greatest unknown. Still others are confident they can escape their fate, only for their efforts to fall short.

The girl in the hallway, however, only felt confusion, because the beast did not rend her flesh asunder, nor feast on her blood... but barked happily and licked her face.

The beast pulled back, just enough for it and the human to make eye contact again.

And then she found her.

_...Ritsu... is...?_

Death did not take the overwhelmed Mio Akiyama that night.

Instead, she was taken by the well-known blackness of a faint.

**To be continued...**

* * *

**When I was writing this, I had NO IDEA someone had a slightly similar idea in a fanfiction titled "Ritsu's Spirit Animal." I chose not to read it, for fear of accidental plagiarism. We may not get paid for this, but we fanfic authors have honor! ...At least, _I _try to have it, anyway.**

**Oh, **_**kouhai **_**means "underclassman" or "junior", the opposite of **_**senpai, **_**"upperclassman" or "senior". ****Don't expect **_**senpai **_**to be italicized after this instance, though; I'd probably have to check a third of Azusa's speech with a fine-toothed comb if I did that.**

**So:_ Kore wa dou desu ka? _How was it? Too short? Too long? Needing copious amounts of _yuri? _Let me know in a review.**


	2. That Night

Author's Note: _Thought or Emphasis_; **Flashback or English**; _**Thought or Emphasis in Flashback**_

I don't own _K-ON!_. If I did, Mugi would get more screen time, and a few more chances for her Mugi-Goggles to activate—there may not be actual pairings, but it would be kinda amusing to see how she sees in short bursts.

It's not like some viewers don't have this _yuri_-vision anyway; otherwise, we probably wouldn't have this much fanfiction!

Read and review.

* * *

**K-ON!: Howl!**

Part II: That Night

Her face was wet.

Sitting up and touching her cheek, that was the first thing Mio noticed as she reentered the living world.

The second thing she noticed was the darkness. Shadows pervaded the hallway where she revived, but stopped short at the soft light in front of her, pooling in from the bedroom's window.

The third was the shape with glowing amber eyes, lying in front of the bed.

"AAAH!" The gray-eyed girl scrambled as far back as her limbs could take her, which was unfortunately not very far. The shape seemed to wince and whine at the scream, before making a sound of its own.

_Bark!_

"Huh?" Mio reacted in turn with a sudden recollection, touching her face again before quickly jerking her hand away. "Oh." She sighed. "So it _wasn't_ a dream, then."

Standing, the bassist found that Ritsu had indeed transformed into the creature in front of her, minutes before her encounter with blackness. Now conscious, however, Mio's head took the opportunity to flood with questions, such as: _When did _this_ start happening? Can she change back? Why Ritsu? What in the universe decided to play this joke?_

_And what do I do with a... what _is_ she exactly, a dog-person? No, wait... a-_

_!_

She may have watched anime with her on occasion (never expecting she'd keep a marginal interest in _Naruto_), but Mio never watched Ritsu's horror movies—at least, not without closing her eyes most of the time. While having blocked out some sights and sounds (and Ritsu's reviews), however, she found that the concept of _this_ had not completely eluded her.

She knew that full moons were important—though if that information were ever in doubt before, she _surely_ knew it now.

More important at present, however, she knew that this beast was a bloodthirsty one. The screams in those movies were not welcoming its rampage, after all. Hence, the newest words to break through the house's quiet:

"Why aren't you attacking me?"

The words passed her lips before she could stop them, and Ritsu stood up on her four limbs.

Mio slapped a palm over her traitorous mouth, holding back a scared squeak. She jinxed herself. The girl who sucked down a bag of popcorn this afternoon would devour her too before morning...

Or not, as the beast simply scratched an itch on her back with one of her "hind legs."

Part of Mio was impressed with the flexibility, but another part chided herself. "Stupid! What am I doing!? She's still Ritsu, I know it! I..." She recalled something before the blackout. "...I saw it!"

Ritsu stared the mumbling human with what appeared to be curiosity.

Equally curious, Mio tried something, speaking slowly. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

An unchanged gaze, and silence.

"I guess not." With a huff, the girl tried to figure out what to do next, her finger absently twirling a lock of hair. The ex-human seemed to sense the ravenette's annoyed mood, and stepped closer, nudging into her unoccupied hand. "Hmm? What is it, Ritsu?"

Her head jerked up._ Bark!_

"You... recognize your name?" She took the chance. "Ritsu."

_Bark!_

"Well, at least there's that. Now... do you know me?"

Silence again.

"It's me, Mio." She gestured to herself, a hand tapping her chest. "Mio."

Faced with another stroke of silence, the girl would have called it a failure, but then she thought about it. As she already told herself, the beast was still Ritsu; if she did not know her at all, she would probably would have been dead minutes ago. "Ritsu." Another bark was released, with another nudge into Mio's hand.

Starting to get the message, she tentatively reached up to pet the spiky top of Ritsu's head, never thinking she would ever say this to her best friend: "G-good girl." She then rubbed it slowly, passively noting the hair's texture—softest at its ends, despite their appearance.

She was almost distracted by the sensation, until the beast's head tilted up once more. Eyes once lidded in a moment of comfort now opened wide, seeming to shine a bit more once they locked onto Mio's. Something about them looked familiar as her fanged mouth... grinned?

_What is she-_

_!?_

Over a hundred pounds of weight pressed the brunette back to the wall. Unlucky dark strands of hair were matted to the victim of Ritsu's appreciation; her question was answered with a wet tongue.

"..." A shudder, and then, "L-l-let's find you something to do."

* * *

"Why did I find her something to do?"

Wiping her wet hand in the kitchen, Mio hoped Satoshi would forgive her for the ball torn apart in Ritsu's fangs... and that the Tainakas would forgive her for the lamp that got knocked over.

* * *

**Playing for fifteen minutes straight was starting to make the black-haired bassist's arm tired, but pleading, glowing eyes forced her on—and knowing how a human Ritsu sometimes occupied her time, she did not want to find out how a monster version combated boredom.**

**Mio hurled overhand this time, and surprised herself with the ball's distance. "Now bring it back."**

**The beast simply stood in place, ball in mouth at the end of the hallway, until the human houseguest attempted a "come here" gesture, opening her arms and scooping inward. "Um... here, Ritsu."**

**The bestial best friend understood... and burst into a run...**

* * *

"Well, I tried, right? Dogs like catching balls, right?" She shook her head at the assumption. "No, don't say that! Ritsu isn't a dog, she's a..." Mio took the moment to stare at her feral friend, fangs tearing into her brother's baseball—or rather, its remains. "Oh, Ritsu..."

She was starting to feel regret. "Hmm, maybe I should have played with her outside... No, what if someone sees? How do I expla-" Her thought stopped upon a more pressing inquiry:

"AND WHEN DID I START TALKING TO MYSELF!? _UGH!_"

A low, sudden growl caused the ravenette to cool down, and it wasn't from the furry female in the room.

"I haven't eaten since I got here, have I?"

Ritsu began to walk around, sniffing the floor and air. "You're probably hungry too." At the sight of claws starting to tear into the refrigerator door, Mio figured she was right.

The noirette headed to the freezer half of the refrigerator; her host claimed earlier that some microwave pizzas were waiting in case they got hungry. She noted the brunette's current condition, however, and had to ask, "Can she eat that?" Judging by the teeth she saw earlier before Ritsu's... affectionate greeting, Mio figured she could probably eat anything.

She seemed to try, at least; the minute the human opened the freezer door, the beast dove in and searched for its own food. Mio could only step back and watch as a frozen chicken was ripped from its storage and taken to the same corner as Satoshi's ball once was. She grabbed the flattened pizza boxes and hopelessly threw them away, deciding that a good show could get her mind off of hunger.

It worked, to an extent:

The newest game show she walked into partway, something about knowing old _kanji_, managed to get her mind off of her own eating.

Ritsu's eating, however, became a new topic forcing its way into her mind, thanks to the sounds.

Cracking, crunching, wetness, tearing... all Mio knew was that something in that corner was being destroyed. She turned up the volume to the television; at this point, she did not care what the program was, as long as she did not sink into her old coping mechanism.

"I can't hear it, I can't hear it, I can't hear it..."

The cacophony eventually stopped, as did Mio's mantra. Leaning over the couch, she dared to look, hoping what she saw would not send her screaming out of the front door, or vomiting where she sat.

To her disbelief... there was nothing there. Ritsu ate _the entire thing_: no meat, no fat, no bones; only some some red bits of ice anyone could miss at first glance. Gray eyes pulled away from the sight (or lack thereof) and turned back around, where the bassist released a breath she did not know she held.

Then came, of all feelings, relief: "At least there isn't a mess to clean up." Mio shook her head of the odd thought; she was taking this situation a little _too_ well.

"I wonder if I've gone insane from all this." She huffed. "Well, I am talking to myself again." Gray eyes sternly glared to the beast walking to the couch. "This is your fault, you know."

The beast in rags slumped inward and whimpered in response, a literal puppy-dog pout melting the steel gaze against her. _Is it possible she can actually be... _cute_ like this?_

Yes, she was _definitely_ taking this too well.

Mio just gave in before the oddity of it all. "I can't stay mad at you. Even when you're like this. Even when you're not... quite... you." The noirette brushed her hand across the former human's hair again, somehow not paying mind to what the latter just did; it helped that Ritsu's head faced the TV screen, not showing the leftovers that could be on her mouth. _And even like this, you're still distracted by television. I get the feeling I'll need to know that later._

In time, the screen grew hazy before her gray eyes, the hand moving across Ritsu's head becoming more and more sluggish. Combining the horrible anime on her television right then, the lateness of the hour, and the newest development of her young life, the night had taken its toll on Mio Akiyama. Her hand lazily pressed the remote's off button, darkness seizing the room and its inhabitants.

It soon clutched onto her mind, but she still had one last thought before morning.

_Please change back, Ritsu._

**To be continued...**

* * *

**Some earlier readers may be wondering, "what the heck happened to chapter 2?" Well, while I was working on fixing up chapter 1, it just didn't feel right to me to leave the first night unaddressed. Never fear, the original chapter 2 is just next chapter, some minor tweaks added in.**


	3. The Morning After

Author's Note: _Thought or Emphasis_; **Flashback or English**; _**Thought or Emphasis in Flashback**_

I don't own _K-ON!_. If I did, I'd at least answer the question of just what the heck the band members' parents do for a living. No, even better, I'd let people SEE them! That would blow minds!... Well, unless you looked in the manga to see Yui's mom and dad.

Yeah, that's right, THEY EXIST.

Feel free to be astonished, then read and review.

* * *

**K-ON!: Howl!**

Part III: The Morning After

Mio woke up a bit out of sorts that morning... or rather, that afternoon, according to the clock above the living room television. That hardly ever hap-

Wait... living room? This wasn't even her house...

And what was this weight on her lap?

The bassist looked down to find her bandmate's face as the source. The brunette looked quite serene in her sleep, and the sight made the ravenette hesitate to wake her. Two things forced her to act, however: one was the lack of feeling in her legs, while the other... was the red stain around Ritsu's mouth.

After a couple of nudges to her shoulder and calls of her name, Ritsu managed to rise from her comfortable pillow. Her mouth tasted funny, though, and thanks to the wake-up call, she failed to recall a thing from the past few seconds, let alone last night. "Wha...?"

"Good. You're awake." Mio's gray gaze sharpened. "You have some serious explaining to do about last night."

Ritsu only halfway regarded the voice. "Last night? What are you—wait. Wasn't I in my room? How did I..." She suddenly had a bad feeling, but denied the worst-case scenario. Still, she had to know what happened, so she stood and looked around.

The first thing she noticed was that the lamp was smashed to bits, the stand it once occupied not much better. _Mom's gonna be mad about that. I think that got broken the last time I..._

Upon that realization, she continued her search. Nothing else seemed to hint anything though, until she saw the kitchen that, without doors, blended into the room. There were grooves, grouped into fives, etched into the refrigerator door.

That clinched it. Only one thing could make those marks. It happened again. Yet, something was missing... someone?

Her eyes picked up something unnerving. Walking to a corner of the room, she discovered small stains of dried blood; each was not even the size of her thumb, but there were just enough to make her face grow pale. She had a strong suspicion that those stains had to do with the weird taste that did not go away.

She tentatively felt around her back teeth, pulling out her final hint, a chunk of blood-red meat. Her hand began to quake as she dropped the former meal. "Wha... what did I...?"

Just before she began to break her brain for any other clues, she heard something.

"Ritsu?"

"Mio..." Turning back around, her sleep-and-fear-addled mind finally connected the voice to the face. "MIO!" The brunette yanked her interrogator off the floor before crushing her into a hug. "YOU'RE ALIVE!" She backed up, hands still on the other girl's shoulders, and frantically looked her over. "You're not bleeding, or missing anything-"

"Ritsu."

"And you're not bitten, or at least you don't look like it. I mean, I've seen movies, but I don't really know what could happen if you-"

"Ritsu."

"Wait!" The paranoid released the survivor before revealing her theory. "You could be an illusion or something! Like... uh, the last image of the person that died, and you're haunting my house for my horrible sin! Mio... be honest with me." She talked slowly, but fearfully, "...are you... are you a... g-g-_ghost_!?"

"CALM DOWN!" A fist smashed her back down to Earth. "...stupid Ritsu." With a few deep breaths, the brunette did indeed calm down, allowing Mio to repeat her question. "Do you remember last night?"

"No, but I know what happened." Ritsu's head hung low, loose hair veiling her face. Before her friend could wonder about her mood, the Tainaka girl straightened up with a toothy grin. "Guess the secret's out, huh?"

The playful girl's hand scratched the back of her head with the gesture. Others might have compared the sun of happiness to Yui's and her blinding rays, but it was clear to Mio the falsehood of Ritsu's smile.

Thus, she was unaffected. "I'd say it is, seeing how I saw you _turn __into_ it. But what... h-how..." She filtered her stammer to one question. She already had a good guess, but she somehow needed to hear the answer from the one affected.

"What _are_ you, exactly?"

"Well..." Ritsu dropped the act. "I'm a wolf-girl. **Werewolf****.**" She spoke the last word in English, remembering an old American flick. "But you could probably figure that out, right?" Mio nodded, her suspicion confirmed, so the shape-shifter answered the next logical question. "It started last month. Mom, Dad, and Satoshi saw me the first time I changed. Remember when I had to leave you and the girls early for feeling really sick?"

"Yeah. Your mother said you caught a bad stomach flu and said it was best to stay away for a few days." The ravenette's eyes widened. "So you were..."

"Yep. They were all full-moon days, like yesterday. And after the pain gets really bad, I don't remember what happens to me, but Dad said every time it was over, I acted like a dog, so I'm thinking 'wolf-girl' fits."

"That sounds about right. You were barking and sniffing everywhere, you tore apart the meat from the freezer once you got it in your sights," Mio looked down and slightly grimaced at the blood on the floor, "and you..." she pushed down her blush with a forced _ahem!_, "...licked me a few times."

"Um..." Ritsu felt her own face heat up. "Dad said I did that a lot too."

"Well, at least you're a _nice_ monster, as strange as that sounds." The next question: "But how?"

"Family curse."

"WAH!" The raven-haired houseguest leaped from the foreign voice. Once her heart started again, she turned to find a boy three years her junior. While his hair was slightly darker, his eyes matched the color of his older sister's. He stood casually in jeans and a shirt that said **DEATH** **BERRY**. (While Ritsu was a _Naruto_ fan, the boy preferred a TV show known as _Bleach_; shockingly, no war yet broke out over which was superior.) "Oh, it's just you, Satoshi."

"Mornin', sis." He spoke to both girls, as Mio was at their home so much, she was practically family. "Sorry I wasn't here, but I forgot the first night was yesterday." _Stupid video game._ "Once I figured it out, it was too late, and Daigo's mom wouldn't let me come back."

"It's too late to say sorry now!" His sister whacked him in the back of the head. She ignored his small _"__ow!__"_ of pain. "I could've KILLED MIO!"

His response was quite calm despite that possibility. "It's not my fault _you_ didn't remember, though. You're the one with the curse."

The boy was right, of course, but Ritsu wasn't going to admit it. Just as the older Tainaka was about to strike again, Mio interrupted. "What 'family curse'?"

"I heard the story from Grandpa."

"And I heard it from Satoshi." His sister explained her part, but noted the oddity: "You know, I still don't get why _I_ never heard the story from Grandpa."

"I dunno. Maybe he was scared you'd eat him or something." He walked to the refrigerator, ignoring the damage, and pulled out the milk. Getting a cup for himself, since no one answered when he asked, "You guys want any?", he gulped down half and began the tale.

"It started with Grandpa's grandma Satomi. She lived in a village at the bottom of a mountain, with a forest between them." Satoshi took a sip from the cup. "Our family used to be carpenters or something back then... eh, not important." He shook his head clear and went on. "Anyway, her home village was attacked every few days by this gang with swords. What they liked, they took, and what they didn't like, they cut to shreds—anything, and anyone. They did this for about three years, and everyone who stood up to the gang died.

"But one day, a couple from the gang cut up and beat up Satomi's husband when he wouldn't give up enough stuff from his family's old store. They didn't outright kill him, but they hurt him so bad, he fell into a deep sleep and never woke up. Everyone thought he was going to die soon. Satomi swore she'd get revenge for him and everybody else in the village, so she asked them to fight with her. Problem was, no one else wanted to cross the gang again.

"She went mad from the grief, ran into the forest and cried out for anyone to help, even the _kami_.

"And then something answered: a single wolf. It didn't like the gang either, 'cause they were spoiling its home in the mountains where they lived with their stolen stuff, and it didn't like them taking tributes like the _kami_ without protecting the people too. The wolf promised to help her out, but for a big price. Satomi didn't care, she just wanted to beat the gang, so she took the deal. The wolf told her to go back home, so she did.

"The gang came for their usual tribute at sundown the next day, but the only one in front of them was Satomi. They laughed at a single woman saying she'd kill them all... but then the full moon came out, and she transformed into a horrifying wolf-woman!" A spark seemed to move into his eyes as he approached the climax.

"She started ripping them all apart, blood and guts flying everywhere, dripping off her claws and..." He pulled himself out of storyteller mode when he saw Mio starting to quake. "Heh heh, sorry."

The ravenette's hands went to her ears, blotting out the words that made the monster, so unlike her docile descendant, rampage before her mind's eye. "I can't hear it, I can't hear it..."

Ritsu applied the usual remedy when she did not want to wait for Mio to get out of the nearest corner. She grabbed her shoulders and looked her dead into her closed-eyed face. "Mio!" Shaking her a bit, she tried to force her to "snap out of it!"

"...wha?" She slowly returned to the real world. "...O-oh! I'm okay. P-please continue."

"Geez, how'd you even stay sane last night?" Ritsu only half-joked, concern slipping into her words.

Mio only saw it as another of Ritsu's jibes about her aversion to gore, however, and tersely called out to the drummer's brother. "Can we just move on?"

"Sure. We're almost at the end anyway." He wiped off his milk mustache.

"So Satomi slaughtered the whole gang and howled at the moon to celebrate... but then she turned on the villagers, who left their houses to see the mess. The wolf that took over her body didn't let go, and it fed off of her anger at them for not helping her. But just before she was going to sink her fangs into her new prey...

"Her husband appeared. He woke up that night and pulled himself out of bed to find her, calling her name again and again. Hearing and seeing him calmed Satomi down, and once he figured out she was the wolf-woman, they left the village and never returned. The rest is family history."

Satomi finished his cup of milk.

Mio started to take it in. "That's quite a story-"

"And it's not over." Ritsu jumped in. "Remember the 'price' as part of the deal? As you can figure, it never let go-"

"-and she kept changing!"

"Yep... until she had a child, according to Grandpa. Even then, it never let go of the Tainaka bloodline." Satoshi added more. "And that's still not the weirdest part. From what we figure, it's a pretty picky spirit."

"I get that. You've already said it only comes out under the full-"

"It likes girls." The Tainaka siblings spoke in unison, before noting the weirdness of that moment.

"...Eh?"

Satoshi explained, "Well, we think it only does its magic in girls born Tainaka. Ritsu's changes never happened to mom, Grandma, or Grandpa's mom, or even our aunts."

"Plus, the last three generations of our little clan have all been born boys." Ritsu continued where he left off. "The only girl born into the name is..."

"...You."

Ritsu nodded at Mio's bug-eyed answer, a mirthless chuckle slipping past her lips.

"Dad always said a Tainaka girl would be special."

_Now_ Mio started to take it in. Last night, she simply went with what her gut told her; she needed to keep Ritsu occupied, and she needed _not _to run screaming into the night. Now that she was neither blocking her eyes and ears from messy eating, nor tired from a strange night and boring television, she could think about just what her friend really was.

But first, one thing gnawed at her:

"You hid this from me for a whole month? Wait..." she recalled Ritsu's behavior, "You were trying to hide it yesterday too!"

"What'd you expect, Mio? Think about it." She tapped one of her temples for emphasis. "What'd you have done if I told you what happened? Whack me on the head? Told me to stop messing with you? You never would've believed me!"

The ravenette's mouth opened to retort, before she realized, "You're right."

"And last night... if I hurt you, Mio... " Her voice faded to a whisper. Once again, her unbound hair shadowed her face. "I don't know what I'd do."

"Ritsu-"

"I'M BEING SERIOUS HERE!" The drummer shocked the bassist with her volume. "I didn't want to scare you away either. I'm already a monster now, and I think maybe I'll learn to live with that..." she saw her torn clothes, "...eventually. But you afraid of me? Never talking to me again?"

She raised her head, a small flame lit behind her watery orbs. "No way!"

"S-so..." The fire dissipated as the cursed girl took a breath. "Yeah. That's why I couldn't tell you."

The room fell silent for a moment, the afternoon sunlight still not enough to penetrate the fog of uncertainty left by the tale and the truth.

_It's __over,_ were the words bearing on Ritsu's mind. Mio did not know it, but her braver counterpart admitted her greatest fear. In their second grade class, Mio became the first child who wasn't pushed away by Ritsu's sometimes unruly nature. Ritsu cherished that early bond to this very day, almost jealously defending it at times; that incident with Nodoka almost put a strain on the friendship.

This was no high-school issue, however. This was a problem lying in wait to reveal itself since Ritsu's very birth, a burden fallen to her shoulders thanks to simple bad luck. Just because of some _stupid __ancestor _making a_ stupid deal,_ this _stupid __curse_ was going to take her away from the first and best friend she ever had. Mio's silence only confirmed it, so the brunette screwed her eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable goodbye...

Then, a voice.

"If you think I'm leaving you now, you're more brick-headed than I thought!"

Amber eyes shot open. _Mio?_

"We've been friends for too long for me to stop now. Even with something like this." Mio pulled her friend into her embrace, the other's arms still slack. "If I wanted to run, I'd have done it last night. And like you said, you'll learn to live with this thing." Her hug tightened as her conviction affirmed. "_We_ will."

"Aww, Mio..." Ritsu returned the hug in full force, happy tears messily trailing down her face. "You're the best friend EVEEEEEEER!" Laughter and sobs mixed between the drummer and the bassist, their bond of the bandmates strengthened.

The two girls suddenly heard a sniffle, one not coming from them. Ritsu pushed back from Mio to see Satoshi, rubbing his face with his arm; they had forgotten he was there. Now that he was noticed, however, the more mischievous of the duo felt a tease coming on.

"Oh? What's this? Were you _crying_, dear brother?"

"What? NO!" His bravado was countered by his red eyes; rubbing his eyes again only made it look worse. "It's just, uh... stupid allergies."

"Really? I found Mio's words quite moving." She turned her head to the giggling ravenette. "What do _you_ think, Mio? Were _my _words moving?"

She held in her laugh and forced a straight face to reply. "Quite so, Ms. Tainaka. A performance worthy of acclaim."

"ALLERGIES!" Satoshi's hope that volume would get the point across fell flat before the older sister's and art critic's laughs. He gave up and walked away, pushing a frustrated growl under his breath. "I'm gonna make breakfast."

"Alright! I'm starving!" Her energy was back. "Omelet rice?"

"I am the best at it." Ritsu had to agree with him; if he and Ui ever worked together, she once mused, they could probably cook the best feast ever made.

"Then feed us!" She shoved her brother's retreating shoulder a bit to get him going. "I'll wash up a little." She addressed this to Mio, who nodded and walked to Ritsu's bedroom for her purse. She would have to explain to her father why she did not come home last night—with more than a few details left out, of course.

Both could hear Satoshi's words from down the hall:

"And put some new clothes on!"

**To be continued...**

* * *

**About the story of Satomi Tainaka: I was inspired by a Religion in Japan college course lesson about _kami. _Rather than simply meaning "gods", the term can refer to just about anything inspiring awe, from deities (like sun goddess Amaterasu), to animals (like dogs—_inugami_), to natural formations (like waterfalls). Obviously, I picked the "animals" section, and poof, an origin began to form.**

**Better than the usual werewolf bite, huh? I hope so...**

**By the way, the name "Satomi" refers to Satomi Satou, the voice actor for everyone's favorite girl, Ritsu Tainaka.**


	4. Curiosity and the Cat

Author's Note: _Thought or Emphasis_; **Flashback or English**; _**Thought or Emphasis in Flashback**_

I don't own _K-ON!_. If I did, there'd be a episode showing how Yui sees things. The second season shows that Azusa is capable of all kinds of strange daydreams, and we know what Mugi can sometimes see, but what about the mind of Yui, who sometimes seems to live in a different cutesy world sometimes?

While you consider the mental side-effects that would befall the viewing public, read and review.

* * *

**K-ON!: Howl!**

Part IV: Curiosity and the Cat

Sakuragaoka High School. Standing for almost a century, the three floors of steel, concrete, and polished wood have been a place for girls to learn about the world and themselves, growing into young women ready to face the world upon graduation, or to continue an education at a university of their choice.

It is a hope of families and faculty, however, that a student of the _sakura_-surrounded school does not merely gain an education, but friends as well. Some friends would part as their paths diverged, but others would stick together for decades to come.

A certain homeroom teacher who went to her friend's wedding not long ago could attest to that.

In a room on the third floor, right next to the stairs featuring a tortoise and hare racing on the banister, a quintet of girls furnished their friendship through music. If a curious student opened the door right now, she would be greeted by-

"**IIII don't miiiiind!"**

With Mio's last line ringing through the club room (and reaching the ears of other clubs in a muffled symphony), the band Afterschool Tea Time provided "Pure Pure Heart" its beautiful end. For a certain guitarist, however, the end to a song meant the beginning of one of her favorite activities...

"CAKE TIME!" An excited girl, her hair short and brown, but parted by a hairclip, raced the others to the makeshift table, four standard school desks linked together. Only a trail of dust was left in her wake. Rather than sitting with the other instruments removed from shoulders and left on stands, her "Giita" sat quietly at the table, never far from her sight.

"And there goes Yui-senpai." A small girl, her dark hair styled into twin tails, let an amused giggle slip from her lips. After spending this long with the band as acoustic guitarist, her senior's sugar cravings were no longer a surprise. Yet, each time one appeared, it was no less funny to watch. "Was she like this before Mugi-senpai started bringing desserts, Mio-senpai?"

A smile graced the older lookalike's lips. "I get the feeling she's been like this since birth, Azusa."

"I have chocolate cake today!" Just as quickly as Yui's run, Tsumugi seemed to have teleported from her keytar, only to appear with the delicious treat placed on the table.

Chocolate eyes widened in delight; Yui loved the candy that matched that color. "YAAAAY!"

"Wow, Mugi, that sounds... simple, or common, ya know?" Ritsu, as usual, spoke her mind. "Usually it's some kinda 'delicacy imported from France' thing."

"There is beauty in simplicity..." The blonde smiled as she recalled learning this lesson; an afternoon with a certain headbanded brunette broadened her horizons to the concept of yen-store candy. "This was imported from Belgium, though."

Ritsu smirked as picked up her first forkful. "Yep, like I tho-" She would have spoken further (with her mouth full), but her train of thought derailed into a wall of sugary satisfaction. "Mmm, that's good."

The bassist and acoustic guitarist soon found themselves in agreement, the urge to practice once again slipping away.

School, music, cake, and the girls—Mio still found these four things just about constant, even in the new schedule she and Ritsu adopted due to the latter's special circumstances.

And schedule they did. The noirette bore down on the cursed girl to write in her agenda booklet daily, including the nights each month a full moon made its appearance. Coincidentally, it also got the brunette to keep better track of homework.

Yet another measure was one which Ritsu almost smacked her own forehead for not doing earlier:

* * *

"**First thing I gotta do..." Hands firmed by drumming grabbed an important object from a bedroom desk.**

"**I'm pinning this calendar on the wall right now!"**

* * *

Minutes later, their most direct measure kicked in. A buzz surfaced from within Mio's purse, from which the girl pulled out her vibrating cell phone. Ritsu's also awakened and was silenced.

They shared a quick look, knowing the purpose. The vibration was the alarm, adjusted for 40 minutes before sundown. That was about as long as it took to get to Ritsu's place by walking and be ready for the change; the nearest bus route would take them out of the way.

"Well, looks like I gotta go!" A chair lightly scraped the floor as the headbanded bandmate moved to leave.

"Where ya going, Ricchan?" Crumbs followed the question out of Yui's messy mouth.

"Satoshi's got a... _!_" Ritsu paused in shock. She was normally a good actress—but this time she forgot the line she practiced.

She blamed Belgian chocolate.

"Satoshi's... um..."

Luckily, her co-star was there to pick up the slack. "Project."

"PROJECT! Yeah, that's it, there's a project I promised I'd help him with." She zipped over and wrapped an arm around her long time friend's shoulders (a bit awkward, seeing as the latter was just getting up from her seat). "Mio promised too! Right, Mio?"

"Right." The ravenette was not amused that her personal boundaries were destroyed. Then again, she had gotten used to it happening on those certain nights...

Back when the girls first made their full moon plan, they figured out a wrinkle: with the months growing colder, days would get shorter—and the moon would come sooner. The drummer and bassist only hoped their friends wouldn't notice them leaving just a little bit earlier this time.

One did.

_Haven't I heard this before?_ The pigtailed guitarist had a good memory, and compared today's reason to last month's hurried departure. "Didn't he have a project last month too, Ritsu-senpai?"

"Yeah, well, his science teacher's pretty tough on him." The actress had settled into her role at this point, though promised to make more alibis later. "Matter of fact, he might need our help for the rest of the week."

"It must be serious." The blonde in the background interjected before Azusa could ask what the project's topic was.

"Sure is."

"Shouldn't we be _going now_, Ritsu?" Mio already had her bags in hand/on back. Gray storm clouds seemed to billow behind her urgent glare.

"Crap! Yeah, yeah, let's go!" In moments, the club president met her friend at the door. "I declare today's meeting adjourned!" A quick "See ya!" left her lips as the sliding door closed behind.

"BYE, RICCHAN, MIO-CHAN!"

Azusa shielded herself from a high-velocity crumb barrage.

"Yui-senpai, please use a napkin."

"Here you go, Yui-chan." Tsumugi gently wiped the chocolate carnage off of her face, but felt a disturbance in the room from the kitten kouhai. "Is something wrong, Azusa-chan?"

"No, Mugi-senpai, it's just..." She decided to admit it. "Well, something tells me that Mio-senpai and Ritsu-senpai are hiding something."

"Hiding something? Like what?" Mugi certainly had her theory about the two, but decided to hold it back for now.

Besides, she loved personal conversations!

"I... I don't know. But Mio_-_senpai's face looked so serious when she wanted Ritsu-senpai to leave. It was almost as if Satoshi-san wasn't going to wait another minute."

"Perhaps he cannot afford to wait?"

"If he couldn't wait, why didn't he get his own classmates to help him?"

"It could be hard for everybody, Azu-nyan." Finished with her slice of cake, Yui offered a surprisingly logical counterpoint. "Like Kuri-sensei's math tests..." The air around her grew colder as she began to drift off in a manner only matched by war veterans. After one such exam in her last year of middle school, the elder Hirasawa sister grew to fear the decimal point for a week...

"Maybe... but... hmm." Perhaps her own assignment last month prevented her from questioning the alibi the first time, but now, the seed of skepticism planted deep in Azusa Nakano's mind. What could be so important for her senpai to end meetings earlier than usual, multiple times a month?

The curious kitten wanted to find out.

"I'm leaving." She bowed to her elders. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mugi-senpai, Yui-se-"

"Later, Azu-nyan!" Yui crushed the poor girl to fill herself with "Azu-energy", the junior's mind slowly hazing in the warmth...

_Must... fight it... nyaaaaa... NO!_

"EXCUSE ME! er, Y-yui... senpai." Her arms finally pushed hard enough to escape the comfort (but not the embarrassment; her reddened cheeks proved it). "I really need to go."

"Okay!" The chipper girl's "Azu-recharge" was complete anyway. "Good luck with... uhh... whatever you're doing!"

"Um, right." Now with her head clear again, the garnet-eyed guitarist resolved to catch up to the girls... somehow. She just hoped they had not gotten too far...

* * *

Mio and Ritsu indeed had not, for an unfortunate reason:

"A water main broke?"

"Sorry, folks. No one's walking through here till we know just how clear this street is." The scene was barred off for a city block, at least, unknown objects crossing from one side to the other under the surface. To make things worse, the colder night air would eventually risk the water freezing and making a trip truly treacherous.

"Dammit! My job's that way! I'm gonna be late!"

"You call that a problem? My _car_ is in that flood!"

Each citizen's personal issues were troubling, but the drummer and bassist had one of their own.

"How are we going to get to your house on time now?"

"I dunno." Ritsu's face scrunched as she voiced her thoughts. "I'm seriously thinking about just cutting meetings on full-moon days from now on. Sure would save some time on the excuses, ya know? Then again, they might start asking about that..."

Mio was momentarily stunned by her friend's mental distance. "Focus on the present, would you?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." The ravenette didn't appreciate the dismissal, but the brunette managed to duck under a fist. "HA! Nice try, but-"

_POW._

Ritsu would have clutched the hurting spot, but as the head lump appeared, so did her idea. "I got it!" She turned to Mio. "Hey, you remember Toyosato Park?"

"I think so. We haven't been there since, what, middle school? And besides..." A shiver ran through her body. "Isn't that place haunted?"

Gossip among the adults and teens years ago was that a thief hid in the park to hide from police, but eventually ran out in fright, begging them to protect him from some "monster". The rumor filtered down to the younger citizens, and the usually cautious Mio took heed. To her surprise, however, Ritsu didn't get so excited. She explained back then that even if she wanted to see it for herself, there would have been more attacks if it was still there.

"If there was a monster in there instead of a ghost, does it still count as haunted?"

Mio was not amused.

"Yeah, I know, not the point." The brunette got back on topic. "Anyway, I had this sudden thought to check out the park. I looked every few days, and I figured something out—there's this real quiet spot where no one ever goes." Her lips slightly pouted as she remembered, "I kinda got this funny gut feeling when I was there too. It's not _that_ gut feeling, though... but... hmm."

"Are you sure about this? The farthest you've ever been is the backyard." That night, Mio thanked the Tainaka family for having tall, concealing fences installed. "This could blow up in our faces. We could run-"

"Well, it's better than changing in the middle of the street, right? We don't have a lot of time here!" Ritsu's final appeal was to look her friend right in the eyes. "Come on, Mio, trust me!"

Throughout history, the Akiyama were a blessed bunch, granted strong moral fiber, a sense of civic duty (a few were policemen and in the Self-Defense Forces), beautiful hair, and above all, iron wills.

"Well..."

However, no prior generation had ever met a Tainaka. Under those eyes passed down by Ritsu's ancestors, Mio's will crumbled in less than a minute.

"...We've been standing here for so long, I don't think we have another choice now. Let's go."

Despite their burdens from school, the two made a run for the park, too focused to notice a girl with small stature, a large guitar, and very fast walking speed not far behind.

* * *

"This is the place."

Ritsu led her to large bushes and scattered branches of an old, nearby tree. Mio would have asked what she was supposed to see, but held her tongue as her friend shoved some of the oddly stacked branches to the side. It was a bit harder to enter the small opening with backpacks and a guitar, but the girls managed.

Entering, Mio had not realized just how big the park really was. Much of the fairly empty grounds was closely tended, but this area was literally off the beaten path; other than the wood on a few trees looking slightly worn here and there, the place was practically untouched. The foliage kept much light getting through, the grass fairly low and covered in brittle leaves blown in from elsewhere. This and the low sun gave this secret spot a soft, peaceful near-darkness.

"I wonder why no one steps around here. It's kinda nice—even if this feeling isn't going away." Ritsu began to unzip her coat.

"Have you ever stopped to wonder if that's a bad feeling?"

"Yeah, a little," Ritsu had to admit as she fiddled with the zipper. "It's kind of a pull, like I'm being guided here, ya know?"

"I don't know. That's why I asked."

"Oh well! Here." Mio almost dropped the coat thrown at her as Ritsu shivered at the November air. "Ooh, cold."

"It is getting close to winter. Now hurry up and..." The ravenette let the command hang, certain she would _never_ get used to asking that.

"Well now, I didn't know you wanted me undressed so badly!" The brunette smirked as she removed her shirt. "Something you'd like to confess, Mio-_chuan?_"

Mio simply turned her back to her.

"Shut up and strip."

* * *

_This park sure is empty at sundown._ The twin-tailed teen had followed as best she could, hoping people wouldn't ridicule a girl randomly hiding behind trees. _I know I saw them over here..._

Her sharp hearing suddenly picked up a laugh, a laugh she could recognize anywhere by now: _Ritsu-senpai!_

* * *

"Quiet down! Someone might hear you!"

"Oh! Right! Sorry." Ritsu clamped her lips shut, but the first wave of_ the feeling_ confirmed something:

"Then again, it might get loud anyway."

* * *

_It came from behind these bushes. But what are they doing in—_

Azusa stopped, but only for a second.

_...I think I had better look first._

She saw a space near some oddly propped up branches, and made her steps toward them. Any thoughts on giving them privacy to... do... whatever were discarded; she had already come this far after all, her interest too piqued for her conscience to interfere. Her hand reached out, just as the sun's last rays vanished...

* * *

"Well, here it comes." Ritsu looked up at the sky. She had changed into a large T-shirt and shorts, something cheap enough to have on when she changed back. There was a simple reason: waking up naked with no memory of last night was just plain scary. "You can turn around now, if you want."

"I don't want to. You know I don't like seeing you like that." The ravenette may have accepted her friend's condition, but she still never wanted to see her suffer.

"I understand." Ritsu placed her hand on Mio's right shoulder, hoping to channel a little confidence into her. "Hey, it'll all work out. It always does, right?"

"I know." The bassist's hand clasped over the drummer's in return. "I'll be right here."

"I know." By this time, the second pulse hit. Whenever it did, Ritsu spoke five words that became more than a catchphrase between the two—it became a promise.

"See you in the morning."

The hands parted, the bodies and minds attached bracing themselves for what happened next.

They were not braced enough.

"Mio-senpai?"

"Azusa?"

"Naka—_ngh_—NO!"

**To be continued...**

* * *

**_Sakura_ are cherry blossoms. Like I said before, I'm not italicizing _senpai_, nor will I do so for _-chan_ or _-sensei_, because the terms are used so often.**

**A word of caution: listening to _K-ON!_ tracks doesn't always work for inspiration if you find yourself nodding your head to them.**

**New trivia: I got the park's name "Toyosato" from Toyosato Elementary School. Located in Toyosato, a city in Japan's Shiga Prefecture, the building is the real-world basis for Sakuragaoka High School; it even has the distinct tortoise and hare (from Aesop's fable) on a staircase banister. Though abandoned in 2004 due to the people being moved to a new location, Toyosato Elementary became a town landmark, and after _K-ON!_'s popularity grew, it became a tourist attraction for fans as well.**


	5. A Girl and Her Dog, and a Cat

Author's Note: _Thought __or __Emphasis_; **Flashback or English**; _**Thought **__**or **__**Emphasis **__**in **__**Flashback**_

I don't own _K-ON!_. If I did, I'd have made season two include a lot more of the songs from the soundtracks. 26 episodes, but only what, two or three insert songs? None of them singing "Curry Nochi Rice", "Houkago Tea Time", or something from Sawako's band DEATH DEVIL (other than "LOVE", which is awesome)? There were definitely some missed opportunities.

But let's not focus on the past. Let's look to the future, perhaps a third season featuring Azusa's classmates. While we wait, you can read and review.

* * *

**K-ON!: Howl!**

Part V: A Girl and Her Dog... and a Cat

Azusa Nakano, daughter of musicians, did not have the artist's free-form mind. Private school teachers forced discipline into the girl at a very young age. She always used honorifics with her superiors (_always_), had not been late for school in her entire high school career, and had a solid academic record. Afterschool Tea Time may have softened her up a bit and stirred up her inner child, but she was still a girl of reason, formality, and reality.

Thus, her reaction to a certain drummer's condition was expected.

"Mi-mi-mio-s-s-senpai?"

Much like Mio on her first night, Azusa's mind and body took a little time to get back to work, but the junior needed a few seconds more.

To see someone _transform_, then jump onto her band-mate and try to lick her face?

It was just too... _un_real to exist. "Is... i-is that..."

"Yes." Mio wiped off her face with a handkerchief from her jacket pocket; she had dealt with Ritsu's greetings before, after all. "I know all this is strange, but believe me: this is Ritsu."

"Strange..." Azusa made to move out of the hidden spot's entrance, the body finally thawing out.

She did not even get her foot off the ground before the former human suddenly stepped in between the lookalikes, glowing amber eyes devouring whatever bravery the junior may have had. The acoustic guitarist automatically shielded herself with "Muttan" at the sound of Ritsu's growl.

The image of her club president, baring fangs and claws, possibly about to tear her limb from limb, the other one standing there watching—_WHY IS SHE JUST STANDING THERE WATCHING!?_ "I d-d-don't think she l-l-l-likes me..."

"It's alright." She spoke this to not only the kitten, but the canine as well; a hand stroked Ritsu's spiked mop top in an attempt to calm her down. "She's just a little protective... I think."

The growl quieted, but the beast's eyes still focused on Azusa's every move. "You... _think_?"

"Well, this hasn't happened before. Everyone else Ritsu liked as a human, she liked when she wasn't. Weird."

"_Weird!?"_ She would have yelled, but fear for her life made her speak through her teeth. "She's... going... to eat me!"

"She's not going to eat you."

"How do you know? You said this never happened before!" Her frustration caused her to do something stupid. "What do I-"

She moved.

_BARK!_

"Eep!" Blackness swallowed her, the tension too much and the fangs too close. Her bags fell with her, a muffled _thunk_ stemming from within "Muttan's" container.

"Azusa!" Mio pushed past Ritsu to cradle the downed girl's head. The wolf-girl silenced, her head tilting in confusion.

The ravenette had a question as well: "What is going on with you?"

The bestial brunette looked at the duo with something Mio could not read, and simply gave what sounded like a huff in response. She circled a bit, softening the leaves below her, and laid where she once stood, eyes still on them.

The conscious human checked Azusa's state; she had no injuries from her fall, it seemed.

She sighed, the moment over. Both of her friends would calm down with a little time, she figured. Until then, Mio had another issue to resolve when her junior woke:

_Would it be rude to ask her to pick up something for us to eat?_

* * *

_What in the world am I doing?_ Azusa stumbled out of the door of Max Burger, five sandwiches and two orders of French fries stuffed in a paper bag. A bell jingled as the door closed.

It was not until she found herself 1000 yen short that she realized: she could have just run.

She could have sprinted away from the restaurant, twin tails trailing behind her.

She could have sped past the park, hoping Mio-senpai would protect her guitar and schoolbag until tomorrow.

She could have zoomed through her house to her room, hid under her sheet and written the entire thing off as a bad dream.

_So why aren't I running?_

Inside, she knew why. It was her curious mind that got her into this mess, and this same mind forced her body to walk back to Mio-senpai and the creature that on any other day would be Ritsu-senpai. She had to know what was going on. She had to know...

_When did I start living in a horror novel!?_

* * *

"I'm back, senpai." Mio heard a soft voice as the "door" was slowly opened, revealing the kitten kouhai with a bag in hand.

"Thanks, Azusa." The gray-eyed girl took the bag, struggling to push back a drooling Ritsu; the wolf-girl already smelled the food before its carrier entered the hidden space. Her hunger was so strong, she neglected to growl at Azusa for being too close to it. The contents were split to give Ritsu three of the five burgers, accepted with messy gusto.

As the dog was distracted, the cat took the chance to sit. "So Ritsu-senpai is a-"

"**Werewolf.**" Mio got to the point. "And yes, it's-"

"Impossible!" Ritsu looked up from her meal, ears twitched at the sound. Azusa scooted back a few feet behind Mio. "Or, rather, it's clearly possible, it's just..." Only a frustrated _"Mou!"_ could complete the thought, and she chomped into her sandwich.

"It's hard to describe, I know." Mio looked to her left at her oldest friend. "I don't know if she remembers this, but when we were little kids, when I was... well, a _lot _less brave than I am now, Ritsu said she would look out for me. Maybe I was just trying to be brave like her back then, I don't know, but I said I would do the same for her." She unwrapped her burger. "But I never would have imagined this."

The garnet-eyed girl finished off another bite before asking, "...How?"

"How is she a wolf-girl?" The elder lookalike took a guess. "I think it'd be better if she explained it herself tomorrow."

"No, not that. Well, I _really_ want to know that, but that's not what I'm asking." A few fries later, she elaborated. "How do you deal with..." She saw that Ritsu ate the last burger. Sauce dribbled down her chin, much like the blood of a fresh kill...

Azusa held down a shudder. "...that?"

"Well, at first, I was scared out of my mind." She ate some fries of her own, a little too salty for her taste. "But I figured out that, under all the barking and fangs and fur, she's still Ritsu."

"Still Ritsu... huh." She noticed that said senpai was distracted by a squirrel that just blurred past and went up a tree, barking a few times before giving up the hunt.

"She even tried to hide what she was because she thought I'd run, but I stood right there and told her,

* * *

"**If you think I'm leaving you now, you're more brick-headed than I thought!"**

* * *

The junior giggled at the warm-hearted insult, growing reminiscient herself.

"You know, in the first days of being with the club, Mio-senpai, a lot of my preconceptions were shattered. For one thing, I thought you all were focused on your songs every day behind the curtain, and that maybe Yui-senpai was just acting fun to stir up the crowd.

"But that changed quite quickly. Seeing you all sipping tea, teasing each other, and talking about nothing at all, I wondered if you just succeeded by luck. With you, senpai, I thought your confidence and bravery on stage—what I respected about you the most—was a bit of an illusion."

_She thought I was confident? I was afraid every minute. I still am, a little._ Mio kept those thoughts to herself as Azusa continued.

"But now I understand. You all don't play music because they're school concerts and you want to be noticed; you play because it's fun. You play around and eat cake not because you're lazy and it tastes really good; it's just how you get to know each other."

The bassist smiled at something: "I do think we are a little lucky, though."

The acoustic guitarist conceded that point. "Maybe. Yui-senpai and Ritsu-senpai are a little... well, they always manage to pull it together by the end, don't they?

"And when it comes down to you, I realized... I was sort of right." She finished off her fries. "You are scared sometimes, but you always keep going on to sing in spite of it. And now, with you accepting Ritsu-senpai despite how she is, it's clear..."

Her meal was finished.

"You're braver than I ever imagined, Mio-senpai."

Mio was a little stunned by the admiration in those brown orbs, but pulled out of it as Ritsu seemed to finally move closer to the duo. "Thanks. But you should remember by now: you're part of this band too. The _five_ of us play music together, and the five of us are connected now. We three in particular," the noirette moved a hand across the wolf-girl's hair, "are connected by this."

"I guess we are." Yet, this raised a problem. "But what about the others? Is it right to keep this secret from them?"

"Hmm..." When it was just between Mio and Ritsu, the former figured things would be okay. But Azusa had a point. The senpai figured her kouhai could probably keep a secret, but even so... "I'll talk to Ritsu about it tomorrow."

The twin-tails became increasingly aware of a glare in her direction. Clearly, eating did not solve the issue between her and her beastly bandmate.

"Maybe you can ask why she's looking at me like that too?"

"Sure."

Azusa backed away, slowly, of course. "Well, I should be going. I need to get home before Mother does."

"I understand. Sorry for keeping you this long."

"No, I should be the one who's sorry, senpai." The junior picked up "Muttan," her mood slightly dimmed. "If I wasn't so busy butting into something private, I wouldn't be in this situation." As she straightened up, however, her will strengthened. "But I promise, I won't tell anyone! And if you ever need my help, just ask!"

"I will, Azusa."

She gave one last bow, as was custom. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mio-senpai."

"See you."

"You too, Ritsu-senpai."

A soft growl was her reply, to Azusa's chagrin.

With a little effort to move the "door" of branches, she was gone, the used burger bag gone with her. Only Mio and Ritsu, a girl and her... wolf-girl, sat in the soft grass. The chilling wind could not get in through the bushes; only the sound of their breaths broke the silence.

Mio remembered, though, that silence could mean a dangerous thing: boredom. Ritsu was starting to get restless. The last time that happened, she started tugging on Mio's loose shirt to play with; Satoshi wisely played the distraction before he found a whole new way of looking at his sister's best friend.

"Now, what am I going to do with you?"

Fortunately, she did not need to answer that question. An old enemy, the squirrel, had made its return. Amber eyes followed the rodent out of its home, and the rest of the body followed suit in a big, furry blur.

Mio could only laugh. She had a lot to tell Ritsu tomorrow morning...

The blur slammed into the tree, dazed for a moment before barking up the tree once more.

Yes, a lot to tell, indeed.

**To be continued...**

* * *

**Well, that's new: no actual trivia this time around. It's all original stuff, except for Max Burger, which I'm pretty sure is from the show. That, and something called "WacDonalds" I think I saw... weird.**


	6. Confessions, Part 1

Author's Note: _Thought __or __Emphasis_; **Flashback or English**; _**Thought **__**or **__**Emphasis **__**in **__**Flashback**_

I don't own _K-ON!_. But if I did, I think I'd stop letting Sawako make names for bands. I'm okay with "Afterschool Tea Time," since it worked with what the band actually did, but **Spoilers from the manga! **Azusa leads a band in her senior year called the "Wakaba Girls," or "Fresh Leaf Girls." Yes, it also has to do with tea, I know, but it just sounds kinda weird to me...

Oh, well. It's not like _I _can think of a better name. Read and review.

* * *

**K-ON!: Howl!**

Part VI: Confessions, Part 1

The winter had picked up in earnest. Trees about the town lost their leaves, the branches coated in a new layer of snow, which had fallen this morning.

A freezing gale had just begun to press upon its walls, but within, the Nakano household was peaceful. Shielded from the weather, Azusa sat in her room, home alone. With a smile, she gazed upon her work; the science assignment she attacked a few days in advance was finally completed. Much of chemistry, she found, was merely math cleverly disguised; and unlike Yui, she was good with numbers.

When the pencil hit the desk, however, a new problem surfaced:

Now what?

The pitfall of an only child has always been the creeping threat of boredom. From time to time—more often after meeting the likes of the Hirasawa sisters—the garnet-eyed girl wondered just what it would be like to have a sibling around the house...

"_Big sis!" A dark-haired girl even smaller than the acoustic guitarist charged forward from the doorway, an oddly familiar yellow clip in her short hair, arms open wide..._

Azusa shuddered, a near-victim of another pitfall, the wandering imagination. She wasn't sure, but too many daily doses of _those_ could be hazardous to her health... even if they were warm.

Speaking of those, she remembered she had something else to keep her company instead of siblings—friends. Ui, Jun, and the band were around... somewhere. Besides, even on this snowy day, it was the middle of the afternoon. She knew her classmates were busy (to her surprise, Jun picked up a job), but maybe her seniors had some-

-_bzzz_.

Her phone vibrated; she received a text message. It seemed they would give her an idea sooner than she expected...

And unexpected it was. She had talked with a certain pair about the idea a while ago, but they delayed any action. At any rate, it was not truly her choice to make, so she left the issue alone.

Now, however, a single sentence changed the solitary dreamer into a girl on a mission for the warmest coat she could find:

_**From: Ritsu**_

_**We're telling them tonight.**_

* * *

Yui and Tsumugi received calls from Mio and Ritsu early in the afternoon, making it to the Tainaka residence with little resistance; fortunately, with enough salt on the sidewalks, there was little ice to dodge. Judging by their words, it seemed pretty important that they all meet tonight.

Coats and shoes removed, the upbeat musicians saw that Ricchan's place was a bit different from what they remembered. Rather than facing the television, the couch was set perpendicular to it. The low table, usually sitting in front of the couch, now occupied the room's opposite side. The center of the room was empty, except for a large rug.

In short, the living room was prepared for a presentation.

One potential host accompanied the audience on the three-seated couch. With Mugi peacefully ensconced between the senior and junior guitarists, one of them was safe from an "Azu-energy" drain (at least, for the moment).

"**Welcome!"** The club president sprinkled in a little English as she entered the room. The girl of the hour stood in a large T-shirt and shorts—odd for the others to see in winter. Then again, she was indoors, the house a toasty retreat from the outside world, much like their own. "I got something to tell you guys. It's really big."

The two viewers were already getting into the spirit. "What do you wish to show us, Ricchan?"

"Glad you asked, Mugi!"

"Ooh, I know!" Yui jumped in. "Did you finally beat Satoshi in-"

"NO." He had bought a game involving high school students controlling... alter egos (?) in some kind of arena. _Stupid game. _"That's not what I wanna talk about, though. I-"

"Did that DVD you were looking for finally get here?"

"Yeah, finally!" She had just come across a series online about kids who could control the elements—in one clip, a blind girl moved the earth. "But that's not it."

Mugi also had an idea. "Is Ari-chan still trying to get your phone num-"

"LEMME SAY IT!" Ritsu cut through the chatter. "Iiiihow do I say this again..." Her aura of leadership flickered. She practiced saying the statement, telling the tale, a few times over the last week—she and Mio even told Azusa the whole thing—and yet, the words never came easily before her other bandmates' unknowing faces. With the others, they saw it first hand before she could explain. Here, she was starting fresh.

Perhaps, though, she _should_ let it happen like it did with the others. She could simply wait until after they were traumatized by _it_ and talk in the morning, or-

"Maybe I should tell them, Ritsu-senpai?"

It was a tempting offer...

...but no. The club leader decided to be so. "No. This is my secret."

"It's _our_ secret."

Mio had finally come back from the bathroom; the snow was not a good friend to her hair, and the wind tossed a bucket of the white stuff at her when she opened the door. The brunette softly smirked as she remembered the ravenette's fretful reaction, and for another reason:

"Heh heh, you're right."

The brunette's bold nature pushed forth. If she could act... er... Mio-ish in that school play with her, she could do this no problem! Besides, she was talking to Mugi and Yui of all people; they didn't even blink at the "I have a tapeworm" excuse, so they could believe this... right?

"I'm gonna tell you guys a crazy story. Please don't ask any questions till I'm done, okay?" She wanted to get it all out at once, starting with a deep breath. "It all started with my ancestor Satomi..."

So, the tale of the Tainaka curse was told—and much like her brother before her, the storyteller became absorbed in it. She swiped at the air with an invisible blade to terrorize citzens; her volume rose as "Satomi" cried out to the heavens for help, and her husband called out to her later on. Having a little fun with it and poising to attack as her angered ancestor was not exactly well received by her "co-star" Mio, but the audience seemed to enjoy it—even Azusa, who had heard the story before.

"...and now, that wolf has been passed down to me." She took a breath, before bringing the point home.

_I hope this goes as well as the tapeworm excuse..._

"Basically, I'm a-"

"So you're just like your grandma?" A hand shot up, as if the girls were still in class, but one didn't get her lecturer's permission to speak.

Ritsu's mouth hung open, the big reveal's tension collapsing in the face of innocence. _She couldn't let me finish, huh? _"My grandpa's grandma, but... yeah, Yui. I'm a wolf-girl." The drummer quickly realized two things. First, that the words came out as smooth as they did with Mio; once she started, she did not have anything to fear. Second:

"Wait a minute... you... you actually believe me?"

"Sure!" The other brunette nodded. "It's really, really weird, but the _whole world's_ kinda big and weird, I think."

Her worldview spoke for itself.

"Just about anything's possible!"

Remembering past nights under a full moon, Yui's fellow guitarists could not help but agree.

"And besides..." Her face beamed. "You wouldn't lie to us, Ricchan!"

All three confidants felt a tug on their hearts at those words, Ritsu most of all.

"Actually, that's the whole point of today, Yui. I _have_ been lying. To you and to Mugi." The latter had not made a sound, so the brunette continued. "See, I've had this thing in me for a few months now. That's why I've been leaving the club early, and that's why I've been making excuses: so I wouldn't show you what I am."

She decided to be specific. "So those times I said I had to help my brother, and that time I had a doctor's appointment, and that time I said I had crazy-drumming-hands disease, and that time I-"

An elbow jarred her right side, and a gray-eyed girl demanded, "Focus."

"Uh, right. Anyway, I didn't want to get you guys wrapped up in this, but Nakano and Mio set me straight. _All_ of you are my friends, so all of you deserve to know the truth.

"I mean, what if the band had a really big concert in sight, but it could only be on a full moon? We'd miss out on hitting the big time! It wouldn't be right not at least telling you why.

"Then there's Azusa. Something told me if she could figure it out, you guys could too."

Mio agreed. Yui, if she wanted something bad enough, would never stop to get it (they feared secrets were included), and Mugi could be anywhere for what seemed like hours before anyone noticed her.

Yui gasped. "You knew too, Azu-nyan?" She leaned forward; with hairclips in place, nothing prevented twin chocolates to stare right into garnet globes. Not even the power of Mugi was a decent buffer against Yui's vision.

The kitten kouhai squirmed in her seat. "Yes, Yui-senpai. Didn't you hear me offer to speak earlier?"

"Forgot!" The team airhead spoke without missing a beat.

"And, like you heard, she stinks at making excuses." Mio added. One of these days, she once suspected, the brunette would have improvised again and resorted to the "I have a boyfriend" excuse, and neither of her accomplices were willing to back up that ruse. Ritsu agreed with her back then...

* * *

"**Yeah, your boobs are too big to disguise you anyway."**

* * *

...and she could still feel the Dangerous Queen's response.

Her hand scratched the back of her head. "Well..."

"Oh, one more question!"

"What?"

"Did you ever hurt anybody like your grandma did?"

The cursed girl winced a bit at the question's bluntness, but answered all the same. "Nope, thanks to my family and Mio here... Oh, and I'm guessing you too, Nakano."

"Oh, okay!"

Then, nothing. Judging by the patient sitting and smiling that followed, it seemed she was satisfied, which left...

"So what about you, Mugi-senpai?"

Tsumugi was... quiet.

"Mugi?"

It was not the quiet she took upon watching the girls simply have fun; instead, it was one of those times she seemed really serious. Her eyebrows pointed down, a bushy arrow directing one's vision to a focused frown (or, perhaps, the closest thing to a frown the girls had ever seen on her face). Her hands, once palm down on her lap, now closed in trepidation.

"I want to see it."

"Umm... okay..." Except for Yui, everyone felt a little awkward, but the host shook it off first. "Well, that's why we picked today, the first full moon of the month. It's coming out at... uhh..." Ritsu looked for the nearest clock, forgetting where she moved it.

"It's about a half-hour from now." Mio had checked her phone.

"A half-hour from now!" She pointed to the sky at _her_ discovery. "Sooooo... " That finger, and the rest of her hand, went to her chin, stroking an imaginary beard in thought. "What do we do until then?"

* * *

A few card games later...

"You're... _unstoppable_!" Ritsu sobbed as she tossed her useless cards into the pile. The girls had lost to Yui four times in a row in go-fish. "HOW?"

"I dunno! I guess I'm just that good!" There was no ego in her words, only honesty.

The drummer muttered her theory. "Must be the luck of an airhead..."

She caught a giggle from Azusa, still miraculously not hugged all day.

"What's with that laugh?"

The junior covered her mouth and forced a still voice. "N-n-nothing."

"Are you implying something, Nakano?" Ritsu stood threateningly, getting her arms ready for a headlock...

Then she stopped, and placed a hand on her belly.

It was not a sign of hunger.

"There's the first hit."

"First hit?" Mugi finally produced her first question about the drummer's condition.

"Yeah, hits, pulses... I don't really know what to call 'em exactly, but there are always two before... you know."

"What does it feel like for you?"

"_For me?" That was a weird way to ask. _"It's something like being punched from the inside." It came to her then. "Hmm, I guess I could call them punches..."

"Like you're pregnant?" The airhead (not Ritsu) gave her theory.

Everyone dropped their cards.

"Uhh..."

Ritsu rebooted, and time resumed.

"I sure-" Her breath hitched from the second, stronger wave of _the_ _feeling_. "I sure hope not." She turned to Mio. "The second one happened."

The noirette sprung into action. "Everybody, get back."

Following her word, the bandmates retreated into their seats, the cards left on the floor. Backing away from the foursome in turn, the cursed girl stood on the rug, the newest in a line of several that had evidence of her transformation. Just like the mattress ripped up on the night of her first change, they were all thrown out in the morning.

"Here it comes. You might want to close your eyes and cover your ears, though. It's pretty, uh..." With no words to truly explain what she was going to feel, Ritsu just sighed. "I hate this part." With that, she steeled herself, scanning over their faces.

None had done a thing to block out what was coming next. Yui's visage was placid, eyes and mind open to any possible wonders.

_Geez, it's not like you're watching a horror movie!_

Mugi was much like her, but back in what Ritsu now called "serious mode", and a certain something else in her eye she did not quite understand.

_She did wanna see it too, but... For some reason, I almost feel like I should cover up something... Is this how Mio feels on stage sometimes?_

Azusa differed from either, though, looking solemn and stiff, almost as if at a funeral.

_I totally get that; after all, she has seen it before._

Finally, she paused at her oldest friend. Mio had seen it before as well, and had usually looked away since her first witnessing. Now she had not, probably to maintain an appearance of impassioned strength for the rest of the girls...

_But she never could hide her emotions from me._

The storm clouds behind her eyes rumbled softly, small bolts of nervous lightning moving within—understandable, since saying one was okay with the secret was different from seeing it up close. The sadness was more obvious—also understandable, since Ritsu would not wish this thing on anybody.

All in all, the storm stirred because Mio cared. She cared about her own image, yes, but she also cared about the girls' own safety, and their part in all this... and she cared about Ritsu too.

For some reason, the drummer felt that, even if the others sprinted out the door in the next few seconds and never came back...

That last thing was all she wanted.

The shape-shifter gave a mirthless smirk and the promise, to her and the others.

"See you in the morning."

And it began.

**To be continued...**

* * *

**Hmm, I'm starting to see that the tone of the story kinda slides about, from goofy to serious again and again. I wonder if that's okay with you guys?**

**There's a reason there's only a Part 1 to this Confessions segment. Observant readers can probably see what I'm about to reveal next. Stay tuned!**


	7. Confessions, Part 2

Author's Note: _Thought o__r E__mphasis_; **Flashback or English**; _**Thought **__**or **__**Emphasis **__**in **__**Flashback**_

I don't own _K-ON!_. But I do own this cute little plushy of werewolf-Ritsu. No, I didn't make more, so don't ask!

Mainly because it's imaginary...

Read and review.

* * *

**K-ON! Howl!**

Part VII: Confessions, Part 2

Horror movies can soften the sight of a werewolf's transformation.

They often have a musical soundtrack, providing the transformation its significance and atmosphere. They may cutaway to other events, the unwitting girlfriend in the other room. Perhaps a few camera shifts would note the minor changes. Sometimes, the darkness in the scene could conceal the entire change. Indeed, the very awareness one is watching a movie inhibits a viewer's sense of horror or empathy.

Here, there was no music, no fancy cinematography, no screen. Here, only the soft snaps of bones and muscles reforming under skin, rips of fabric torn by new claws, and an uncertain, intermittent scream entered the eyes and ears of Afterschool Tea Time.

Having seen it more than once, Azusa had stopped freezing up... but she was still the first to turn away. Nothing prevented her stomach from turning.

Yui and Mugi, on the other hand, had their eyes glued to the shifting shape, their bodies stock still. One hardly noticed the tears forming in twin chocolate orbs.

As for Mio:

_I can't hear it, I can't hear it..._

After one screaming, tearing, unblinking minute, a different Ritsu lay there before the quartet. This Ritsu stood on all fours, stretched, then shook a bit, fur and a few bits of cloth flying about. A soundless yawn revealed flesh-rendingly sharp teeth to the audience. Eyes opened (and others widened), dilated pupils revealing an unfocused vision.

_**Big there, small there. Thump thump... so many... body shaking. Hunt? Want to see.**_

_**So loud... smells all mixed...**_

_**That one again. Don't like it.**_

_**Oh, that one was new, different... Can't see. Need more.**_

_**That one? Smells like... so weird... threat...? Need to-**_

**THAT ONE!**

_**Like, like, like!**_

_**See... see...**_

_**SEE!**_

**HER!**

Shutting down her coping mechanism at the end of the screams, Mio returned to the world just in time for a brown mass to knock her off her feet. "AH!" The ravenette desperately shoved back against her friend's happy gesture, her face unable to dodge the tongue. "S-stop! Ritsu!"

Standing, Azusa decided to assist, while once again holding in a giggle. "Ritsu-senpai...p-please-"

_Grrr..._

"Right." The twin-tails returned to her seat.

While Azusa's second full moon spent with Ritsu did not bring much of a breakthrough, by the third, the two could manage to interact without Mio needing to jump in between them. The shape-shifted senpai was not warm towards her, but the kitten kouhai at least knew that her flesh was not a potential chew toy. (Whether one of her pigtails was one after she fainted once, however, was once up for debate.)

Yui, on the other hand, was much less apprehensive.

"Ricchan... You were hurting so bad..."

The girl wiped her eyes. While her mind was stunned during the transformation, her heart still reached out to a person in distress.

"But you seem okay now, even if you are different."

Getting up from the couch, she approached with no fear. The wolf-girl bristled, her hair standing increasingly on end as a hand reached out.

Yui was a little thrown off. "Ricchan?"

Mio stroked her feral friend's head, trying to ease her suspicion as she sniffed. "It's okay, Ritsu. She's a friend."

The youngest was too afraid for her senior to speak beyond a whisper. The wolf-girl was not reacting as strongly as with Azusa, but still..."Yui-senpai, please be careful!"

As Mio's hand let go, another finally made contact. Once, twice, three times.

_Bark!_

The shape-shifter sat happily, her tongue rising and falling with each pant.

The dark-haired guitarists released a sigh. Both happened to share the same thought, though one held astonishment beside the relief: _She likes her._

"I knew Ricchan was still Ricchan!" Yui gave a brilliant grin. "You're just like a big puppy!"

Before animal instincts could even comprehend the assault, one brunette had wrapped her arms around the other one's shoulders.

"I'm gonna call you..." The poor creature had not yet moved; it seemed she was still too stunned by someone jumping on _her_ for a change. "Ritsu-_wan_! But only when you're like this, okay?"

As if a response from the human within, the beast started to fidget, but even her supernatural strength could not escape Yui's iron embrace. Azusa, for some reason feeling a little colder, could only give some advice:

"You might as well just give in, Ritsu-senpai."

Recalling her experience in these matters, she also noted that she had not been-

"I didn't forget you, Azu-nyan!" The upbeat upperclassman smothered her new prey.

_Never mind._

"You really are one..."

At the sound of those words, Yui let go (for now) of her kitten kouhai; she and the others looked to Mugi. The girl was still silent, but her eyes were closed, as if she were thinking about the situation. Hoping Ritsu would receive her well, Mio saw that as normal.

Then the blonde's eyes opened.

"To think I would ever see... I had wished..."

The look in them was just a bit _ab_normal. It was something like that stare she gave when she looked at Mio and Ritsu during the balcony scene of the play. Apparently, Mugi had seen something amazing, something she had never quite seen before.

The difference between then and now: the gaze was directed _solely_ at Ritsu.

"Finally..." Twin sapphires sparkled with glee. "I have finally met another, all on my own!"

"Another?" Azusa mouthed automatically, before the word's meaning dawned on her.

_She couldn't know another, right? Or does she mean... no, it can't be!_

Mio figured it out too.

_No way! There's just no way!_

As for Yui:

_Why're everybody's mouths hanging open like that?_

The blonde's smile broadened, her spirit raised, and the words exploded forth.

"I'M A **WEREWOLF** TOO!"

It was hard to do so after such a loud proclamation, but silence engulfed the room all the same. Only Ritsu, in her feral state, was not fully cognizant of the situation...

...until Mugi moved into her face.

It was not her sentence, nor the fascination oozing from her as she reached out to the other wolf-girl's face that gave the dark-haired bandmates pause...

It was that _no one saw how fast she moved_.

That shock canceled out the previous, releasing a mix of "WHAT?", "HOW IN THE-", and "COOL!"

Mugi blushed, pulling her hand back. "Please don't praise me. All of us in my family can move that quickly."

Yui caught the dazed Azusa after her legs gave out and she began mumbling the newest revelation. "...family... more..."

"I'll handle this." Clearing her throat, the other noirette decided to start the interview calmly, and with journalistic etiquette.

"WHEN!?"

Either Mugi liked the attention from Mio as she grabbed her shoulders and screamed in her face, or she did not care about the intrusion of her personal space; no one was sure. "I was twelve years old. It would have been more of a shock, but my parents had introduced me to our circumstances when I was very young." A mere dusting of a frown marred her face. "It still really hurt, though."

"Wait a minute. We're getting ahead of ourselves." Azusa, the team skeptic, had to interject (from the couch and Yui's arms). "I don't mean to call you a liar, Mugi-senpai, but if you are a wolf-girl-"

"How come you don't look like Ritsu-wan?" The junior sighed at her senior's interruption, and the cursed one herself put her "paws" over her ears.

The would-be shape-shifter was momentarily entranced by Ritsu's appearance. Sensing the eyes and looking back herself, the bestial brunette was also distracted in a way, but as if she could not figure a certain something out.

"She's so... different..."

"Mugi-senpai?"

"Huh? Oh, that!" Her reverie broken, the usual closed-eyed smile resumed. "My father's side of the family learned to control it years ago. We've helped a few others. My mother and father met that way..." She giggled in recollection. "It's quite an interesting story. You see-"

"Not right now, Mugi." Mio brought her to the present. "So you can just... not change?"

"It was harder than I thought it would be. Poor Sumire almost died of fright that one time." Azusa momentarily wondered, _Who's Sumire?_, but decided to leave that mystery aside."Then there was that man in the park..."

"That was _you_?" Mio had been afraid of her for four years now; she could have laughed if not for the recent lineup of surprises. "The Beast of Toyosato Park was _you_?"

"Hahaha, that's so cool!" Yui took the opportunity instead. "You're a legend, Mugi-chan!"

"Oh! Well..." The wealthy heiress' face heated once again. Growing up with a streak of modesty instilled by her mother, she had always brushed off such words as "milady," "mistress Kotobuki," and even "Lady Tsumugi," but she had never such a high title as "legend" or "Beast." "I wasn't quite in control back then, but I do remember that he was very fun to chase." She began to reminisce. "It was amazing how quickly he could run with such a heavy-looking bag... I wonder what was in it? I was only here while my father did a short business deal, so I never got to find out." (Unknown to Mugi, her father had come to speak with the owner of a certain local music store...)

Mio decided not to tell her, instead asking a question of her own. "Mugi, I have to know... Before we told you tonight, did you know?"

"That Ricchan was a **werewolf**?" The blonde shook her head. "No, not exactly. That was..." her eyes darted away, "_one_ of my theories." To detail the others would require paper, pencils, a huge amount of time, and an even larger amount of tissues. "I will admit, Ricchan helping Satoshi-kun with all of those projects when she had not before did seem out of sorts, and I did suspect something when Ricchan said she had a tapeworm, but still, you never know about those sorts of things."

"So, when I asked about how weird it was, Mugi-senpai, you felt the same?" Azusa gasped, "You let me go that day alone!?" She felt something truly unheard of: anger at Mugi. " I COULD'VE DIED!"

The sound caused Ritsu to perk up, but dodging Yui's oncoming hugs served as a good distraction.

The fury passed over the blonde like a gentle breeze. "But you didn't."

Azusa conceded; the rebuttal was flawless.

Still, Mio had to follow up. "But if you knew-"

"Actually, I said I had a theory."

"-uh, had a theory, how come you didn't tell any of us?"

"Simple, Mio-chan." Her smile was unchanging. "You never asked."

For the second time tonight, Azusa and Mio found their mouths agape. As they attempted to dislodge the bottom halves from the floor, Mugi took the opportunity to look at Ritsu again.

"You're certainly not what I expected, Ricchan. Most of us were quite wild when we changed, even around friends. Hmm... ah!" It occurred to her. "Perhaps it involves the nature of your curse."

She had not even noticed how Ritsu's confusion had given way to tension this whole time. If it were somehow possible, her hair grew even spikier as her body's muscles tightened.

"Oh, I think she may have figured it out." She giggled. "Well, we can be quite territorial and possessive against others, I suppose."

"Possessive?"

"Yes, very. It's astonishing how messy our family reunions can get when two of us fight over the same prime rib..."

"Mugi-senpai, I think she's going to act."

"Ah, yes, Ricchan." The blonde cleared her throat, and squeaked as something seemed to happen to her mouth. "Ex...cuse me." Her voice sounded... off, as if coming through a filter.

Then came the strangest thing the girls had heard so far:

Mugi barked.

And yipped.

And growled, and grunted...

She was _speaking wolf._

Judging by Ritsu settling and returning to Mio's side, she had understood every... er, "word".

"I just needed to explain a few things." Mugi felt a sense of accomplishment well up inside. She just conducted her first business negotiation! "We will be just fine."

Mio and Azusa considered seeing a doctor tomorrow to get their jaws surgically reattached.

"I'm hungry." Yui reminded all of her presence. Since she couldn't ask her captain/the woman of the house, she took the next best option. "You know if there's something to eat, Mio-chan?"

"Yeah... I'll... I'll get that." The lieutenant of sorts stumbled backwards to the kitchen, digging out those familiar frozen pizzas and tossing one into the oven (and closing both doors before Ritsu got a whiff).

On the way back to wait, she saw that Yui discovered one of the softballs (_Ritsu must have brought it with her_); with their combined energy, she and Ritsu were going to be occupied for quite a while.

As she and the others watched them play, Mio found the other guitarist's words rung true once more.

_Anything really _is _possible._

Mio knew this night would change things for their little band. She was right; tonight had brought a whole new twist to her life...

...and, more importantly, Ritsu's life as well.

She could only imagine what tomorrow would bring.

* * *

"Mugi's a WHAT!?"

**To be continued...**

* * *

**If you didn't know, **_**wan**_** is analogous to **_**nyan**_**, but a dog's bark instead of a cat's meow. Hence, "Ritsu-wan". But don't worry, folks—Azu-nyan is still Yui's favorite.**

**As a certain writer once mentioned in their own Mugi-centric story, Mugi has been characterized so little in canon, you can do almost anything with her when it comes to fanfiction. Recalling this inspired me to pull off such a thing.**

**Back when I thought of this story, nothing written down, I had it mentally in three acts: the first would've been the first night, the second would've been Ritsu's curse explanation with some school stuff possibly in the mix, and the last would have involved a hunter finding Ritsu and Mio in a park, revealed to be a familiar face—Azusa, maybe. Now I think about it, though, Mugi would also have been an interesting "smiling killer" in the vein of, say, Gin Ichimaru in **_**Bleach**_**.**

**I was also going to make it a one-shot. Funny how these things work out...**

**Keep an eye open, readers. This thing's just about wrapped up.**


	8. What Tomorrow Brings

Author's Note: _Thought __or __Emphasis_; **Flashback or English**; _**Thought **__**or **__**Emphasis **__**in **__**Flashback**_

I don't own K-ON!. I only own these images of the band members battling to the death...

Once again, only in my head. Sure wish I could draw.

Read and review!

* * *

**K-ON!: Howl!**

Part VIII: What Tomorrow Brings

The months passed, one moon after another. Before they knew it, the high school lives of Afterschool Tea Time had ended. The seniors-turned-freshmen continued the band without Azusa (for now), knowing she would have a chance to leave a mark of her own.

Their band became one of several that made up Japan Women's University's light music club. One band just happened to live in the same dorm, providing the girls with some nearby guidance (and in Yui's case, new prey in the form of a certain Akira Wada).

Today, however, was not about the band.

Today was a Mio-and-Ritsu day.

Just now, that Mio-and-Ritsu day had become night.

"Admit it."

"Okay."

"Come on."

"Okay!"

"Well?" Hands met hips. "I'm waiting."

"OKAY!" A short laugh. "You were right. _Madoka Magica_ was a good movie series."

"Thank you."

The two had just left a movie theater not too far from the campus. Ritsu never really saw the value in magical girl anime, so Mio's suggestion caused her to raise an eyebrow. Still, if she could get Mio into watching _Naruto _with her (a miraculous accomplishment, she thought), it was only fair to try this out.

Both of them were quite surprised.

"I thought it would be totally sappy, but the action was pretty solid. I kinda liked that one with the guns. Momo?"

"Mami." Mio corrected. "For some reason, she reminded me of-"

"Mugi? Yeah, me too." The blonde got her hair styled into curls, not unlike the veteran magical girl, as a Valentine's Day surprise.

They shared a laugh, before remembering Mami's fate. Both shuddered in unison.

The noirette remembered another tragedy. "Oh, and Akemi-"

"The other one with the guns."

"-Her story still gets to me. Going back in time again and again to save a friend, even when she failed?" Mio wiped a tear from earlier. "That was so beautiful."

"Yeah... but wow, did they have some issues." Ritsu chuckled. "That one girl went nuts and almost killed her friends, because of what, a boy?"

"Not _just _a boy, but it was definitely part of it. Love is a powerful thing." The bassist recalled Akira's story of unrequited love. Of course, cutting one's hair to make him notice her was a bit different than altering reality with a wish from a fox-creature... but she had a point to make. "Still, I'll never act like that over someone who doesn't like me."

The drummer beside her had not said a word, only a small "Hmm..." and a barely concealed smile on her lips.

Mio stopped in her tracks, not fond of the look on her face. "What?"

"Well, you've always been a little sensitive, Mio-chan." Ritsu tossed a kernel of popcorn into her mouth, a bag she bought on the way out. "Remember when you heard how rare left-handed people were? You cried after class and asked me if you were a freak!"

"I was seven years old!" The noirette's cheeks reddened. "Excuse me for not knowing much about the world!"

"And just look at us now!" Ritsu raised her hands to the sky, risking a spill of her snack, and making a few bystanders turn their heads. "Two freaks on the cusp of adulthood, boldly leaping into that big wide world!"

"There's still a while to go before we truly get into our careers, Ritsu. Besides, you're honestly saying that _I'm_ a freak?" Mio smirked. "You're the one who..." She paused, checking if people were around, and lowered her voice. "You're the one who was barking at me on all fours not too long ago."

"Hey, we worked it out, didn't we?"

* * *

"**This feels kinda weird..." Ritsu sat in a room made specifically for the ritual. The stone walls were marked with... well, as best she figured, magic spells or seals, the lines of symbols she did not understand intersecting at a circle in the middle. In that area, she could feel something; a tugging sensation similar to, yet different from, the one she felt at Toyosato Park. **

"**So this kind of stuff actually works, huh?" She shrugged. "Still, it wouldn't be the weirdest thing I've learned."**

**Indeed, Mugi sharing her family secret almost shocked her out of her (torn) shorts, but she could only accept and adapt. Besides, the chance of ridding herself of her own curse—and possibly going to Mugi's house—was a temptation too hard to resist.**

_**Well, we only ended up in one of the villas, but still, it's a really sweet place. Won't be seeing much of it locked up in this room, though.**_

**This was true; the only other sign of a world outside the room, besides the impossibly thick and tightly sealed steel door, was a small window, from which a yellow-red sky's calm light could be seen.**

"**So all I do is sit here, right?"**

**An gentle voice entered the room through speakers. "Just meditate or sleep, Ricchan. The magic in this room will send you into a special state, in which you can speak to your... 'inner wolf', as it were."**

**The brunette briefly recalled hearing this earlier; the blonde noted that some people could speak to them on their own, but this was the standard method in the Kotobuki clan, just in case the human's other side was a bit too unruly.**

"**I'm talking to myself? Heh, I guess I'm cursed **_**and crazy**_** now." She grinned slyly. "Should be fun!"**

"**Just be careful, okay, Ritsu?" Another voice spoke. "I don't want to have to tell your parents you've gotten lost inside your own empty head, okay?"**

"**Hey!" A vein pulsed on the shape-shifter's head. "I thought Yui was the airhead in our little group?"**

"**I like to think that we're blessed enough to have two."**

**Ritsu could practically **_**feel**_** Mio's smirk right now. **_**So **_**that's**_** what Azusa was laughing about back then.**_

"**The sun will set in about two minutes, Ricchan. It's probably a good time to start now."**

"**Right." She crossed her legs, preparing to do one of the things Mio thought she would never see: Ritsu completely still...**

"**Good luck, Ritsu-senpai/Ricchan!" It was clear who those voices were. The volume from the (incredibly expensive) speakers made Ritsu wince.**

"**Thanks." She snapped her fingers to make sure her ears worked. "Not helping, but thanks."**

**A deep breath. **_**Okay, let's try this again.**_

**Her head lowered, legs crossed, back facing the moon.**

_**One...**_

_**Two...**_

_**Three...**_

**Somewhere around 70 her patience dwindled, but hitting 100 convinced her to open her eyes.**

"**That oughta be enough."**

**Ritsu looked around. The walls had disappeared, only the circle, a dark void with changing colors...**

"**Well, look at—OH!"**

**...and a still figure.**

"**Hi."**

**The Wolf.**

**Its smooth, brown hair appeared to be slightly darker than Ritsu's, spreading all over its body to its almost puffy tail. Black lines outlined the lips and the yellow eyes, with thinner, lighter hair on the face, snout, and legs.**

**Interestingly, the spirit barely reached above her knees in height. If not for the current circumstances, the brunette might have had it confused for a stray dog.**

"**You're a lot smaller than I thought you'd be."**

"**I could say the same words to you, Tainaka."**

"**AH!" The creature resembling a museum exhibit had finally moved, shocking Ritsu enough to fall on her butt. "You can talk!?"**

"**Of course I speak your language." The Wolf's mouth did not move when it spoke... it simply **_**spoke,**_** the voice just hanging in the air. "You need only listen, Tainaka."**

"**Quit calling me that!" The girl hated formalities. "It's Ritsu."**

**The Wolf titled its head. "You are the woman of Tainaka blood, correct, Tainaka?"**

"**Yeah, sure, but-"**

"**Then you are Tainaka. Therefore, I will call you Tainaka."**

"**But... ah, whatever." The brunette promised to figure that out later. "So, are you... what I look like when I'm not... me?"**

"**Probably not, Tainaka." The Wolf did not shake its head; that was a **_**human**_** gesture. "It is... hard to wake up in this body. It hurts."**

"**Isn't that the truth." The human paused. "Wait, what? I was only thinking that!"**

"**We are in your mind. There is no hidden thought here."**

"**Seriously?" She stared into the "sky" of sorts. "Guess Mio was right. My head **_**is**_** empty." She got back to business. "Okay. Speaking of my mind... what's with that? Why are you messing with me, making me act like a dog? And why can't I remember anything?"**

"**I am sorry." The Wolf whimpered; the speech and gestures independent of, yet existing alongside, one another. "I have been asleep so long, I get excited when I finally wake, and I... like to play." It seemed embarrassed, pawing at something on the ground that was not there. "Our bond is not as good as before. That may be why we do not see and know together."**

"**That sort of explains the little stories about me, but that doesn't really answer the big question."**

**Human and beast met eye to eye.**

"**Why do you keep coming out?"**

**The wolf sat upright, back straight like a soldier's before his superior.**

"**I am to be one with the woman of Tainaka blood.**

"**To fight with her.**

"**To protect who and what she loves.**

"**In return, I will stay bound to her by blood and spirit, forever."**

"**That's just it... um, Wolf-san." She didn't have a name—and "Ritsu-wan" was out of the question—so she just went with what she had. "That woman you're talking about? That wasn't me."**

"**You are the woman of Tainaka blood."**

"**No, I'm not **_**that**_** woman. That's Satomi. I'm Ritsu."**

"**But you are the woman of Tainaka blood. What you are named now, the time that passes, they have no meaning."**

**Height did not matter to the beast as it stared with incredible force of will.**

"**A pact made in blood and in spirit is unbreakable without dire consequences."**

"**I DIDN'T MAKE THE DEAL!" Ritsu screamed. "My ancestor did! And I'm pretty sure she was crazy."**

"**The pact is unbreakable, Tainaka."**

"**The 'pact' is messed up!" The brunette grew even more annoyed, especially when the Wolf's face hadn't changed. "REACT, DANGIT!" (Another thought accidentally verbalized.)**

"**How shall I react?"**

"**Well, for one thing, aren't you angry about this? You're in the wrong woman! Get it?" Ritsu knelt down to the Wolf's level and grabbed its head. "You are not supposed to be inside of me!"**

"**Are you certain?" Its yellow gaze was... sly? Ritsu could not tell. She was a people person, not an animal person—except for when she turned into one. "Remember the pact."**

"**Yeah, yeah, the pact, the pact, it's always the pact!" She huffed. "You'll fight with me, protect what I love, bound to me by blood a—wait." Her hands released the canine's face, arms going slack. "Blood."**

"**Yes." The Wolf was glad the Tainaka understood, though nothing showed it. "I protect what she loves. The Tainaka loves her family."**

"**Loved. Past tense. She's never gonna get that right, is she?" That last bit was another thought made words. "But I'm part of it, so... you're protecting us all in some weird way?"**

**The Wolf simply sat erect. "I accept my duty, and my fate."**

"**So I'm stuck with you?"**

_**Bark.**_

"**Yes."**

"**Dangit." The human sighed. "Even so, I really don't like my body breaking apart every time you 'wake up'. We gotta work this whole 'pact' thing out."**

**It occurred to her.**

"**If we're gonna be like this forever, or at least until I die, we might as well start at the beginning."**

**Human reached out a hand to beast.**

"**My name is Ritsu."**

* * *

"I guess we did." Mio looked up to the starry night sky, with a certain something above. "Another full moon tonight."

"Yep. But you know, she's still there." Ritsu patted her belly for effect.

"I can tell. You almost ate that first large popcorn all by yourself. I wouldn't be shocked if you were eating for two." The ravenette took this point to take the bag for herself.

"You almost make it sound like I'm having a kid." She suddenly realized her hands were empty. "Hey, wait, I'm not done with that!"

They had simply decided to share the snack, taking their time to get back, but Mio eventually checked her watch. "We'd better pick up the pace. It's getting pretty late, and pretty dark around here." For whatever reason, the lights seemed a little dimmer as they turned around the corner.

"Weren't we in a movie theater, Mio?"

"That's a different darkness."

"Don't worry, I'll look out for—Hold on."

Something hit her, causing her to look around. She had found that, besides her appetite growing, her senses had gotten sharper since she changed things between her and the Wolf.

Having once been told what she had eaten for breakfast, Mio knew this too. "What is it?"

"Something's not right." The smell of cigarettes was strong, but that wasn't the point.

With a new voice, Ritsu finally realized what she sensed...

"Well, hello there, ladies."

...Bad intentions.

Both came from a group of four who'd stepped out of the nearest alley. The speaker seemed to be the leader, straight black hair and a slim frame draped by a T-shirt, suit jacket and loosely hanging slacks. His friends, two with shaved heads and the other with wild green hair, were much burlier and wore more casual clothes.

Mio didn't need enhanced senses to know they were bad news. "G-good evening."

"My associates and I feel the need to inform you of the law around here." He inhaled from his heated stick of poison. "You'll need to pay a toll to go any further."

Ritsu was skeptical of this new policy. "Toll, huh?"

"Oh, yes." He grinned, a last few vapors escaping between the teeth. The associates surrounded the duo, a feeling in the brunette's gut starting to rise...

Mio wished to get through this as quickly as possible. "How much do you require from this toll?"

"All you got."

Ritsu did not like the sound of that and preempted Mio's strategy, getting between her and the leader, but the latter was too frightened to protest. "What if we don't have anything?"

"Oh, I'm sure there's _some_thing you can offer us in exchange for passage..."

Ritsu _definitely_ didn't like the sound of that.

"...Isn't that right, princess?"

She turned around and followed his gaze.

The one with the crazy hair was too close, far too close to Mio. Ritsu could smell the sweat on her head, a heartbeat becoming machine gun fire in her ears—the palpable fear from her best friend. There was something practically pouring from him too as he started to smile...

...and put his hands on her shoulders.

That was the last straw.

"Mio..."

The ravenette had kept her eyes just slightly downcast so as to ignore the others, but then Ritsu's words forced her vision to rise.

They made eye contact.

One pair was glowing.

"...close your eyes, and don't move."

The other pair faithfully obliged.

The burden on her shoulders vanished in the next two seconds, but Mio did not open her eyes until the shouts stopped.

The twin curtains rose to the crowd of delinquents scattered. The green-haired man had somehow found his face leaving a trail of a certain liquid down the nearest building wall. Another laid against the adjacent alley, a spider-web crack having formed where his back made an impact. A third unconscious man held his hand over his face—apparently, he was the one who screamed, "My eye!"

A short distance away, the leader was currently in someone's grip, her hair just a little bit spikier under the headband as she pulled him closer by the shirt. Most interestingly, he was being lifted off the ground by one hand.

"Ritsu!"

The predator heard, as evidenced by her stiffened posture, but had not let go of her prey. For some reason, light clicks backed her words as she spoke.

"I'll be there in a second."

Ritsu's fist tensed. The guy's eye and lips were bruised and swollen from a few punches, but he was about to receive one more...

"That's enough!" She could deal with it a bit in movies, but violence in the real world was a different story. "You've won!"

"Yeah, what she said!" Blood and tears dribbled from his face as he pleaded. "I give up!"

"You sure?" Her arm reached back.

With disgust, the brunette smelled a new liquid come from his body. "I'M SURE, I'M SURE!"

Mio couldn't see her face, but she could feel something lurking under Ritsu's words from there.

"_**Apologize."**_

"...yes, ma'am."

The brunette had finally turned around, revealing to Mio glowing amber orbs and sharpened canines (explaining the clicking sound).

It would seem the deal was more nuanced than she knew.

His captor beside him, the now reformed criminal sped over and bowed to the ravenette, as if she were indeed the princess he called her.

"I am sorry, miss."

His superior's hand gripped his head, forcing his bow lower and bringing her suddenly sharper nails into his scalp. "For?"

He screamed it out in pain, "I AM DEEPLY SORRY FOR ATTEMPTING TO ROB YOU!"

She released him, and he toppled over.

"Good boy."

To Ritsu's satisfaction and before Mio's gobsmacked face, he scrambled onto his feet and back into the alley from whence he came. The former had advised him to "Take your trash with ya!", but by the time she thought up that witty one-liner, he was long gone.

"Ritsu-"

She was interrupted by a howl, the long U-sound striking right through Mio's form and halting her thoughts.

Wolves, the two once read, howled for a few reasons: to find their pack, and when defeating their prey.

This one was the latter.

"Uhh..."

"Huh?" Ritsu finally noticed her friend's stare. "Oh, this." Closing her eyes, the brunette felt her face shift back to its normal state. "It's just part of the deal."

"But... you..." The bassist could only look around at the mess. "Wow."

"Don't even look at them." The drummer opened her eyes, displaying the same color, the same warmth, Mio knew all these years. "You okay?"

She nodded.

* * *

"**There's one thing I gotta know..." Ritsu asked, "Why didn't you attack Mio? You killed a whole gang a hundred years ago, and the girls said you were jumpy towards them, so why not her?"**

"**I feel as your heart does, Tainaka. She is close to you, and I feel that bond as well."The Wolf looked down meekly. "She also scratches that itchy place I cannot reach."**

"**So **_**that**_**'s why Satomi's husband was okay in the story!" Ritsu realized. "Because you and her shared emotions!"**

"**And as the pact says-"**

"**I know, I get it...**

* * *

Ritsu put an arm over Mio's shoulder. Arms gratefully wrapped around her in return.

* * *

"**...You protect what I love."**

* * *

"Then let's go home."

**END**

* * *

**I based the appearance of the Wolf off of Japan's now extinct Honshu wolf. Get this: it actually used to live in the mountains (and called **_**yamainu**_**, or "mountain dog"), working right with the curse origin.**

**I hope you enjoyed the ride, folks. Perhaps one day I will return to bring more enjoyment or disgust into your lives. See you then!**


	9. Bonus: Holiday

Author's Note: _Thought __or __Emphasis_; **Flashback or English**; _**Thought **__**or **__**Emphasis **__**in **__**Flashback**_

I don't own _K-ON!_, just the memory of Mio in a Santa suit.

The fans thank you, Sawako-sensei.

Read and review.

* * *

**K-ON!: Howl!**

Bonus: Holiday

It was a winter night in the forest. Not many had explored this part of the world, even in the modern age, but the ones who did staked their claim quickly. Those who owned the land took care to preserve its natural state. While they stood with the cause of saving the world's ecosystems, its most recent owners also had more personal reasons.

Clumps of snow cascaded onto the pine trees, white layering over green and reflecting the moonlight. A thinner curtain had descended on the grasses snugly sprouting between them, masking the smallest creatures not yet hibernating. From one crowd of evergreens, a solitary chain of footprints led out to a brook, its waters nearly sterling in their purity.

The trail belonged to a lone doe, its thick caramel-hued hair coexisting with nearly invisible white dots. She was a picture of delicacy, from the slender legs that, to the untrained eye, seemed like they could snap from a strong wind alone, to the thin but active ears, always alert to the world around them. Even the sips the animal took, merely response to basic need after grazing, displayed gentility. The water's chill nearly bit at her tongue, but no matter; her thirst would soon be sated...

A sound.

The softest movement in the distance, a mere rustle, was enough to bolt her head upright. Her instincts screamed.

_**DANGER.**_

She ran.

The sound, and a shape, followed, leaving a splash in the water she left behind. From the footfalls that pounded the nearby earth, it was large... and gaining ground.

Still, the flight response pushed the doe through the almost knee-high grasses. If she could reach the thicker woods, she could hide there until the danger went away.

Her predator did not stop, though. She could hear its visible breath now; it wanted her, had waited for her... _hungered _for her. She heard the snap of jaws that missed, and found enough power to quicken her pace.

Then, a clawed swipe at her leg, and another. To her beating heart's relief, she was too fast for it at this point. They had missed just enough for it to stumble and slow, the sound soon quieting to a stop.

It had given up.

She could escape! The scent of the trees was so strong... so close...

She was so wrapped up in that scent, she paid no mind to the other that wafted within.

By the time the other had occurred to her, it had leaped from the foliage and connected with her throat with claws of its own. A bleated cry of pain erupted with her blood.

A different shape, a little smaller than the first and with much calmer breath, had taken hers away.

Hitting the ground, it was not long before she succumbed to the blackness. Her mind, fading into nothing, was too primitive to wonder why her killer looked so much different from the other that caught up with them.

The first pursuer was canine in origin, an animal that had not attacked the doe's kind recently. It appeared to be a wolf, female, her shaggy hair near-black in color, the darkness defying the moon's rays. She was larger than the average wolf, however, and had no tail. Her eyes were a cloudy yellow, but with the smallest flecks of blue, sparkling like embedded shards of a sapphire.

The victor of the hunt, also female, canine, and tailless, had a lighter coat of hair than her partner, one closer to the dead deer's shade on her back and limbs, thicker there than on her torso. Her eyes were amber, seeming to possess a light of their own.

Their body types did not match, though. Despite size and tail, the she-wolf was more... wolf-like, with paws, a snout, and ears near the top of the head. The latter figure possessed longer five-digit appendages, pointed ears on the sides of her head, and a flatter face that appeared...

...almost human.

The she-wolf and wolf-girl did not care about appearances, though.

"**uuuuuUUUUUU..."** Their twin alto howls showed they had a win to celebrate—and if the drool slipping from their fangs were any hint, a quarry to devour. And quickly, too...

If they took too long to get back, the girls would worry.

* * *

_I'm not worried._

Mio had buried her head in a book for about an hour now, having decided upon that activity since the others in the snow-surrounded villa were occupied with—

"I win again!"

Occupation over. Still, thanks to the book, she would resist it...

...The urge to look out the nearest window.

_Not at all._

"...I give up."

Azusa's shoulders sagged in defeat. She should have figured it out after the last 83 losses she had collected over the years. "Why do I keep playing card games with you?"

"Aww, Azu-nyan... Don't be so sad." Sliding from opposite the costly table they used, Yui pulled her kouhai into her arms. "I'm sure you'll beat me eventually."

_Not interested either..._

The younger guitarist's mind began to cloud over again from the Azu-energy drain. The luck of an airhead, plus something Ritsu once described as "hug magic," were a strange and fearful pair; that Azusa knew...

...but after a few seconds and a slow, consoling head rub, she lost the will to care.

Besides, she had not seen her senpai in months! JWU and Sakuragaoka were more than a few steps apart, and while her classmates were great friends, Yui was one of her first friends. It was only fair that she would take the chance to spend part of winter break with her (_"—uh, and the others!" _She remembered telling a smirking Ui and Jun), and spend a moment or two like this, blanketing herself in the warmth.

Unfortunately, the moment had to end, with Yui the one to do it. "Whatcha readin', Mio-chan?"

The distant, mumbled response sounded something like "Nothing important."

She was being honest; she had been stuck on that chapter for quite a while, because of that one distraction, that one temptation, making her gray gaze slide ever so slightly toward the side door.

_Not... interested... at all..._

Yui was no detective, but even she had noticed how slowly the ravenette had turned the pages.

"Worried about Ricchan and Mugi-chan, huh?"

Mio's posture went stiff. "NO!" In defiance, she dropped the novel, losing her place. The others now staring due to her yell, she fought down the embarrassment with a cough. "_Ahem._...no."

"It has been a while since they left, hasn't it, Mio-senpai?"

"I suppose." She salvaged her calm image. She had refrained from looking outside this long; she could endure for a little while longer. "And it does make sense...

* * *

**Ritsu's eyes bulged in horror.**

"**No."**

**She had done all she could, honestly;**

**She had saved it every ten or fifteen minutes;**

**She had proofread it from top to bottom (**_**Okay**_**, she admitted, **_**so maybe Mio did most of that, but it's still my writing**_**);**

**She had even put it on a flash drive, right there in the laptop.**

**She just needed to print it, courtesy of the neighboring printer, and her BA grade in the course would be safe.**

**Ritsu had forgotten, one thing, however, which her own special condition should have taught her by now...**

"**No."**

**The kami have a strange sense of humor.**

"**NOOOOOOOOO!"**

**Her computer, what **_**used to be**_** a good friend and ally ever since high school, had frozen, trapping a ten-page report—a week's worth of work—in the digital world for eternity.**

**She **_**knew**_** she should have upgraded from Doors XP.**

"**Now? Are you KIDDING ME?" She screamed at the traitor's screen, as futile as her words were. "I WAS SO CLOSE!"**

"**Is there something wrong, Ricchan?" A friend had walked by the door. Out of her three bandmates, only Mugi happened to share this schedule gap, leaving her the only one in their group to hear her plight.**

"**This... this... **_**UGH!**_**" She gripped her head in frustration, nearly pulling the tawny hair out of her scalp. "I have **_**one hour**_** to get this fixed and my paper in Yuniko-sensei's hands, or my GPA's going down the toilet."**

"**One hour?"**

"**Yeah. And it takes a half-hour to make it to class too!" Her hands let go of her hair, instead covering her face in despair. "I'm dead. Utterly dead. Hanging on a cross, spears through my guts, dead."**

**Ritsu had expected the conventional, though useless, responses: "Ouch," or "Too bad," or even, "Why didn't you just go to the library?"**

**What she did not expect was Mugi's response:**

"**That should be plenty of time, I think."**

"**Huh?" The drummer's head shot up. "What for?"**

**The blonde answered the brunette's question by pulling out her cellphone. "Hmm..."**

**Ritsu could not see the smartphone's screen, but she knew there had to be more than a few names on the list.**

**Whatever the length, Mugi found it. "Ah, here it is! Just a moment, Ricchan..." She pressed the call button after turning around. Her friend in need heard only, "Hello, Shion-chan?... Yes, it's me... Anyway, could I get some help with—Hello?"**

**It was quiet for a moment.**

"**I don't know what you're thinking, but there's no way—wait, what's that?"**

**Rhythmic thumping came from the hallway, a three beat:**

_**Thump thump slap thump thump slap...**_

**Its crescendo came with another noise: "…umUGI-SAMAAAAAAAA!"**

**The sound slowed, a little uncertainty before it finally ended. "TSUMUGI-SAMA! I'M HERE! I'M..." She gasped for breath and gripped the entrance for balance. "I'm... I'm here as requested."**

**The new girl sported dark hair a shade similar to Azusa's, cut to shoulder length, a wayward bang in front kept back by her frameless glasses, which she corrected after her stumble outside. Her clothes were, despite the informal surroundings, a black business suit and tie to match. She also carried a bag at her side on one strap, about the size of a briefcase but with pockets big and small on all sides. **

"**Hello, Shion-chan. You see, my friend could really use your expertise."**

**Her breath fully restored, the glasses girl stood erect, then bowed. "You need only tell me where the trouble is, Tsumugi-sama."**

"**Over there."**

"**Yes, Tsumugi-sama." Shion accepted the directions, stepping over to Ritsu. Her gaze seemed to grow cold as she scanned the computer, then the girl, then the computer again. "Hmm..."**

**The drummer's brow rose. **_**What's her problem?**_

**Shion's voice seemed to turn a bit colder as well. "Doors XP?"**

"**Yeah... why?"**

"**You should have upgraded."**

**A sigh. "Knew it."**

"**But I can fix this without a problem." She placed her heavy-looking bag onto the long desk where the laptop and printer resided. "Please step back. I will be done shortly."**

**Ritsu did... and watched the show. She was unsure when this girl attained extra limbs, but maybe that was just the blur left behind by moving between the three objects so quickly. Most of the sound was typing, but she saw the gleam of tools as well—and she could have sworn she heard a blowtorch.**

**Whatever happened, it was over in 15 minutes.**

"**You are free to print."**

"**Seriously?"**

"**Go on."**

"**Alright..." She noticed her screen a little bit shinier. "Did you clean it too?"**

"**For no extra charge."**

"**Awesome. But I better check..." With a few clicks of a mouse, her report entered the material world. "It works! You're a genius!"**

**The technician merely adjusted her glasses with a finger. "I must be, to be of service to Tsumugi-sama."**

"**And you have been a great help, Shion-chan." She smiled brilliantly. "Thank you again!"**

"**There is no need to thank me!" Her icy veneer melted under her mistress' sunny gratitude; her face reddened. "I thank you, for honoring me with your request." Another bow. "Farewell, Tsumugi-sama."**

**Before anyone could even say goodbye, she departed as quickly as she entered—and stumbled down the hall too.**

"**MUGI!" Too amused by the recent guest, the blonde was unprepared for another's act of gratitude: a hug from the excited drummer. "You're a lifesaver—no, wait, a grade saver... whatever! I owe you!"**

**Now she was the one blushing. "I just happen to know the right people!"**

"**No, I mean it! This isn't some tea or cake you brought just in time—it's my first term paper!" She released the keyboardist enough to hold her shoulders. "I feel like I gotta pay you back. You just name your price, and it's yours." She realized what she said. "But not actual money, though, 'cause... well, you know."**

"**Um... I don't know." Her eyes turned away. "This is the first time this has really happened..."**

**Seeing her withdrawal, Ritsu decided to alter the offer once more. "I know, I'll make it your Christmas present! That way, it's not a debt, just a gift, right?"**

"**Well... alright!" Mugi's bushy brow furrowed in thought for a while, but then she had it. A certain something she never got from those outside of the family. She grew excited from the very request, barely hidden under gentle words.**

"**If it isn't too much to ask, Ricchan..."**

* * *

"...They are hunting after all."

The band had already spent Christmas Day with their own families, so the space between then and New Year's served as the perfect time to get away from home; the vacation was a belated present of sorts, but one in which all the girls could partake.

The mention of all expenses paid was a nice lure, as well.

"Strange," Azusa mused. "One year ago, no one could have told me Mugi-senpai had a scary bone in her body-"

"But Mugi-wan was huge!"

Both ravenettes giggled at Yui's accurate statement (and the new nickname). When sitting upwards in that form, the bestial blonde reached Mio's shoulder, above Ritsu, who was at about breast-height.

The junior continued the discussion. "I wonder what they're hunting, though? They are big, so... Deer?"

"Nah. They're probably too strong for that!" Yui countered. "They're probably fighting bears! 250 centimeters tall! Claw vs. claw! A battle to the death, the victor crowned queen of the forest!" She playfully loomed over her seatmate. "RAAAAAAR!"

"...Have you been watching TV with Ritsu-senpai again?"

"...a little."

Mio had tuned out a bit after that, because the worry came back.

_Just what_ are _they doing, anyway?_

They had been gone for hours, but that was probably too long just to catch one animal; they were, in a way, born hunters!

Could the lead guitarist be right? Could they, in their monstrous mindsets, have been foolish enough to try facing another predator?

What if...

What if they were trying to kill each other?

* * *

_Surrounded by furrows in the earth and trees both split and stripped of bark, two naked bodies lay. Barely conscious, both young women willed themselves from their places of defeat._

_The one whose blonde hair was interlaced with crimson was the first to claw forward—with only one hand, since her other limbs were unable to move. Still, a smile eked out. "I will never forget you, sister of the fang... you were truly a worthy opponent."_

"_Heh heh—_hak!_" As for her tawny-haired opponent, the liquid launching from her mouth was quite familiar at this point—it was the same one leaking from her abdomen and leaving a trail from her crawl. She reached forward, a tired grin on her face as well. "You were pretty good too, Mugi."_

"_Ricch...chan..."_

"_Mu...gi..."_

_Fingers so close, hands set to clasp as their final act..._

* * *

Mio shook her head.

_Great. I think I've been watching too much TV with her too._

There was no way that could have happened! Mugi had control over that other side of herself, and it seemed Ritsu did too. Outside of that, the girls saw that control for themselves (though they decided to look away first, since Mugi preferred to disrobe before transformation), and despite their appearances, neither wolf-girl made a single move toward or against them—except for Ritsu still licking Mio's face, for some reason.

So their hunt stretched on a little longer than she liked. Thinned patience or not, she was sure they were coming soon.

"**uuuuuuuUUUUUUUUuuuuuuu..."**

_Make that now._

She was already speeding out of her seat when she told the others, "I'll get it."

The howl (Mio was unsure whose) was the signal to open the back door. The sliding glass was behind a curtain, made thin to let sunlight or moonlight filter in. She opened both to reveal two furry friends: dirty, panting, and partially covered in two different fluids, but overall in one piece.

"Welcome back, you two."

One tensed up to pounce—

"Don't even think about it, Ritsu!"

—but suddenly changed course, following the other to the nearest bath; there were two, thankfully, so only one room would have evidence of their nightly escapade.

Twenty minutes later (relatively silent, as thanks to their arrangements, the change was painless now), the duo entered the living room in human form and in pajamas, the brunette stretching her arms to the sky. "Ahh, that felt good!"

While Ritsu's hung over Mio's chair, Mugi sat beside Azusa, who asked the expected, "Did you have fun, senpai?"

"Oh, yes!" The keyboardist beamed. "Hunting with someone else is a much better experience than doing so alone!"

"Sure took a while, though." Ritsu heard a certain someone mutter, but that person once again tried to put her head in a book.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that." She scratched the back of her slightly wet head, then patted her belly. "Wolf-san was a little rusty; she hadn't hunted for real in, like, a hundred years." (The Wolf had told her it was female, but she still had no real, or at least human, name.) "Plus, Mugi's pretty greedy when she's like that." She grinned half-jokingly at her partner. "Seriously, did you have to go for a group of three?"

"Perhaps I was a bit overexcited, seeing as it was my first hunt since the summer." She chuckled lightly. "Still, I really enjoyed our time together, Ricchan!"

"Hey, no problem, Mugi! It's not something I'd do every day..." Her other side may have liked it, but venison wasn't exactly Ritsu's favorite meal, nor was that last-minute rabbit, "but it was pretty cool to try out. Hopefully, it'll probably stop _her_ from asking for freedom every full moon." She patted her belly.

"So _that's_ why I've caught you muttering to yourself every once in a while." Mio looked up to her old friend. "Good to know I won't have to tell your parents there's a problem."

"Well, somebody's grouchy tonight." She pouted. "Why so cruel, Mio-chan? Don't like your present? Or..." The drummer poked the bassist's cheek. "...are you jealous?"

Mio rolled her eyes. "I'm not jealous."

The other brunette gasped. "It's a triangle, Azu-nyan!" The kitten kouhai could only stare at her senpai in wonder.

"There's no triangle! There's a ghost in her head, belly, whatever!" She turned to Ritsu. "You think _I_ would rather be in your head? I'd probably go insane." She huffed. "And I certainly wouldn't want to be like you either."

"**Werewolf?**" The cursed girl filled in the blank. "A monster of the night, prowling the streets, with incredible senses, speed, and strength?"

Mio felt a small breeze near her lap, and looked down to find her book gone. _Where's my-_

She looked up—and the gift from Ritsu was back in the buyer's hands.

"You sure you don't wanna?" She waved the book. "Because doing this is kinda fun." She placed her free hand to her chin. "Then again, it's more fun doing this to you than anybody else. Maybe you shouldn't."

"Are you even listening to me?"

Mugi offered her aid. "If you really wish to, Mio-chan, I could arrange for-"

"ENOUGH!" Mio's patience broke.

_POW! POW! POW!_

As a testament to her skill, she stayed in her seat while pounding Ritsu's head three times.

"...why just me?"

"So you know better." She retrieved the novel, the only thing in the room that did feature a triangle—a square, actually. "I'd say that temptation to be like you flew right out the window the second you gave me a bird from the backyard as a gift."

"Aww, that was over a year ago!" Ritsu bounced back from her injury. "Anyway, don't you fret, Mio. No matter what crazy monster comes between us, you're still my favorite monster." Her arms flopped over the chair, fingers once again poked the bassist's cheeks. "Sorry, Mugi! You're in the top three!"

The heiress fortunately got the joke and laughed along with her. "Hee hee, that's just fine!"

"Geez... you say such weird things." All the same, a smile slowly formed on Mio's lips.

"Yep, and there's a whole new year coming!" Two hands started to press Mio's cheeks together, ruining the smile. "Hope your face can handle it!"

"Stop that!" She giggled as she swatted away the offending hands; the arms attached settled for a loose embrace. "But you're right. A new year is coming. And it's been almost a year since the secret's been shared between us."

"Yeah... Hard to believe we got it past Sawa-chan-sensei."

"Knowing her, she probably knew before Azusa." Their old costume-monger always could see things the others did not; that special sight probably worked more on things like weight gain than supernatural powers, though.

"Probably." Ritsu raised an imaginary glass. "Here's a toast to our old sensei anyway!"

The five all put their invisible tea cups in the air. "Kanpai!"

"Ooh, I got one!" Yui raised her hand. "To bonds!" Mio felt Ritsu's arms slide together a little tighter.

"Kanpai!"

"To a happy new year!" Azusa and Mugi had gotten into the spirit.

"Kanpai!"

The second half of last year and the beginning of this one were an uncertain time, but the girls had figured it out. Ritsu was now having fun with what was once a burden, and Mio... well, she was often the target of that "fun," but the curse was not such a curse anymore.

In their trials, they showed what this time of year was all about. However the next year would unfold, they would face that future like they did the past: as a team, as a band, and most importantly, as friends.

Together.

"Hey, the night's still young! Who's up for a snowball fight?"

"YAAAY! Azu-nyan's on my team!"

"Wait, Yui-senpai! You're going to catch cold without a coat on!"

"So lively..."

A sigh, and a small smile.

"Stupid Ritsu..."

**END**

* * *

**The doe is based on the sika deer, native to Japan and other parts of Asia (notice how the word sika is like **_**shika**_**, or "deer" in Japanese). Apparently, Japan is overpopulated with this species, since humans wiped out its natural predator... yep, that's right, the wolf.**

**Isn't Wikipedia awesome?**

**Anyway, that ought to do it for now. It's not as "Christmas-y" as it could've been, but I hope I worked around that... and honestly, the main things stopping me from figuring out a mistletoe moment are my oaths for plausibility (why would it be there?) and no romance (I wanted to keep relationships at about anime-level, though that may change with another story I had in mind...).**

**One last thing: I gotta give thanks to the folks who hung in there. As of this upload date (the day after Christmas 2012), I have about 25 reviews, 25 favorites and over 5,200 views. Hopefully, this means that I'm doing something right, that the gift of inspiration hasn't been tossed away. I need you as much as you need me.**

**May the new year bring you new bonds to warm you up next winter; may your holidays be happy.**


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